Factors affecting retention of health workers in the remote areas of kinkinzi west kanungu district.

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO 2006) reported that globally there is lack of over 4.2 million health professionals. Uganda is among the 57 countries with critical shortage of health workers and experiences challenges related to recruitment and retention of qualified health professional (WHO 2010). Health workers have continued to transfer their services to other countries, moonlighting, absenting themselves from work and taking up other jobs. Failure to retain the health workers will result in poor health service delivery. General objective: To examine factors affecting retention of health workers in the remote areas of Kinkizi west, Kanungu district in Uganda. Methodology: The study was carried out on 145 health workers in the remote areas of Kinkizi west Kanungu. A cross sectional descriptive study design was used together with Purposive sampling and Non probability sampling methods were used in selecting respondents from the field study, the empirical data was gathered through use of interviewing and questionnaire method respectively from 145respondents who comprised of doctors, paramedical and nurses. Self-administered questionnaires (SAQs) were used and interview guide to collect data from respondents in their respective capacity. Results: The study found out that health worker retention is poor and HWs were leaving health facilities due to poor remuneration revealed by 76.6% respondents, 75.5% of respondents also revealed that unfriendly working environment affect retention, and 58.0% revealed that most health workers have left their health facilities due to family related issues and inadequate educational and training opportunities revealed by 54.1%. It finally revealed by the majority 53.8% of the respondent that rate retention was very low for doctors compared to the paramedical and nurses. Conclusions: It was found out that health worker retention is poor Recommendation: The researcher recommends that government through Ministry of health should put much emphasize on allocating resource in health sector focus on increasing health workers remuneration package, develop infrastructure like road, financial institution, establishment of training centers and recruit more workers