Satisfaction, motivation, and intent to stay among Ugandan physicians: a survey from 18 national hospitals
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Date
2011
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The International journal of health planning and management
Abstract
Uganda faces a colossal shortages of human resources for health. Previous
literature has largely focused on those who leave. This paper reports on a study of physicians
working in 18 public and private facilities in Uganda as part of a larger study of more than 641
hospital-based health workers in Uganda. We report what could entice physicians to stay
longer, satisfaction with current positions, and future career intentions.
Methods This study took place in 18 Ugandan hospitals.We describe the 49 physicians who
participated in 11 focus groups and the 63 physicians who completed questionnaires, out of a
larger sample of 641 health workers overall.
Findings Only 37% of physicians said they were satisfied with their jobs, and 46% reported
they were at risk of leaving the health sector or the country. After compensation, the largest
contributors to dissatisfaction among physicians were quality of management, availability of
equipment and supplies (including drugs), quality of facility infrastructure, staffing and
workload, political influence, community location, and professional development.
Conclusion Physicians in our study were highly dissatisfied, with almost half the sample
reporting a risk to leave the sector or the country. The established link in literature between
physician dissatisfaction and departure from the health system suggests national and regional
policy makers should consider interventions that address the contributors to dissatisfaction
identified in our study. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Description
Keywords
Africa; physicians, International migration, Human resources, Workforce
Citation
Luboga, S., Hagopian, A., Ndiku, J., Bancroft, E., & McQuide, P. (2011). Satisfaction, motivation, and intent to stay among Ugandan physicians: a survey from 18 national hospitals. The International journal of health planning and management, 26(1), 2-17. DOI: 10.1002/hpm.1036