The Government is preparing to recruit 596 health workers to strengthen staffing at 19 regional referral hospitals across Uganda.
The recruitment follows Parliament’s approval of a Shs1.105 trillion supplementary budget in the ending financial year.
Out of the approved supplementary expenditure, Shs40b was allocated to the recruitment of health workers. The move aims to improve service delivery in referral hospitals.
Dr Henry Mwebesa, the chairperson of the Health Service Commission, said the funds will mainly support the recruitment of health workers who served voluntarily during Uganda’s COVID-19 response.
He said the beneficiaries will come from a list of workers previously validated by the Government.
“The President directed that all health workers who served during COVID-19 and were validated should be considered for recruitment. The funds we had then enabled us to recruit about 300 health workers, and this exercise will accommodate another 596. The Government has now provided the resources to make this possible,” Dr Mwebesa said.
Recruitment to Use Existing Validated List
Dr Mwebesa said the commission is waiting for staffing requirements from the 19 regional referral hospitals before starting the recruitment process.
“We have asked the referral hospitals to indicate their staffing needs so that we can deploy personnel from the validated COVID-19 workers’ list. The list has existed for some time and was verified by the previous commission while awaiting an opportunity like this, so there is no need for a fresh application process,” he said.
He said the validated list includes doctors, nurses, laboratory personnel and other frontline health professionals who supported the country during the pandemic.
According to Dr Mwebesa, the original list had about 900 health workers. Around 300 have already been recruited over the past few years.
This leaves nearly 600 candidates expected to benefit from the latest exercise.
“The list is already available. People should not expect a fresh registration process because this recruitment is specifically targeting those who were validated after serving during COVID-19,” he said.
Commission Plans Bigger Recruitment Drive
Dr Mwebesa also said the Health Service Commission has a broader recruitment plan for the 2026/27 financial year.
He said the commission hopes to recruit up to 2,000 health workers in the next financial year.
“We recruited about 1,200 health workers during the 2025/26 financial year. Most of them are currently serving their probation period and will soon be confirmed after completing six months of service,” he said.
The planned recruitment comes as public hospitals continue to face staffing gaps across key departments.
Mental Health Workers Prioritised
As the new recruitment begins, the Ministry of Health has directed regional referral hospitals to prioritise mental health specialists.
The ministry wants hospitals to give attention to psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals.
In a memo to referral hospitals, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine said mental health services remain a government priority.
“The Ministry of Health continues to prioritise the strengthening of mental health services across all levels of care, particularly within regional referral hospitals,” Dr Atwine said.
The directive follows growing concern over mental health disorders in Uganda.
Findings from the 2025 State of Uganda Population Report show that mental health cases increased by 71 percent between 2021 and 2024.
The report says mental disorders affect 24.2 percent of adults and 22.9 percent of children.
It also says mental disorders account for 13 percent of the country’s Disability-Adjusted Life Years.
Despite the rising burden, more than 80 percent of people living with mental disorders remain without access to treatment.
Referral Hospitals Face Severe Staffing Gaps
Dr Atwine said staffing shortages have worsened the mental health situation in public health facilities.
Ministry figures show that mental health units in regional referral hospitals operate at an average staffing level of only 17 percent.
Across the 19 regional referral hospitals, there are only seven psychiatrists and two clinical psychologists.
Health officials say this shortage limits access to specialised care, especially outside Kampala.
Hospitals Call for More Specialists
Regional referral hospitals have welcomed the recruitment plan but say the Government should focus on specialised cadres.
Dr Andrew Odur, the director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, said hospitals now need specialists to respond to changing disease patterns.
“Our staffing needs now focus on specialists in critical areas such as dialysis, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. We also need specialised nurses, midwives and laboratory professionals because we are expanding services to prevent patients from travelling to Kampala,” Dr Odur said.
“There is a rise in noncommunicable diseases and continuing demand for services such as HIV care. We no longer need only general doctors but specialists,” he added.
Dr Herbert Luswata, a former president of the Uganda Medical Association and consultant gynaecologist, said the recruitment will help reduce pressure on overstretched facilities.
He said it could also improve access to healthcare services in regional hospitals.
However, Dr Luswata urged the Government to ensure the recruitment is backed by adequate funding for salaries, medical supplies and infrastructure.