Health worker experiences of and movement between public and private not-for-profit sectors—findings from post-conflict Northern Uganda
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Human Resources for Health
Abstract
Northern Uganda suffered 20 years of conflict which devastated lives and the health system. Since
2006, there has been investment in reconstruction, which includes efforts to rebuild the health workforce. This
article has two objectives: first, to understand health workers’ experiences of working in public and private not-for-profit
(PNFP) sectors during and after the conflict in Northern Uganda, and second, to understand the factors that influenced
health workers’ movement between public and PNFP sectors during and after the conflict.
Methods: A life history approach was used with 26 health staff purposively selected from public and PNFP facilities in
four districts of Northern Uganda. Staff with at least 10 years’ experience were selected, which resulted in a sample which
was largely female and mid-level. Two thirds were currently employed in the public sector and just over a third in the
PNFP sector. A thematic data analysis was guided by the framework analysis approach, analysis framework stages and
ATLAS.ti software version 7.0.
Results: Analysis reveals that most of the current staff were trained in the PNFP sector, which appears to offer higher
quality training experiences. During the conflict period, the PNFP sector also functioned more effectively and was
relatively better able to support its staff. However, since the end of the conflict, the public sector has been reconstructed
and is now viewed as offering a better overall package for staff. Most reported movement has been in that direction, and
many in the PNFP sector state intention to move to the public sector. While there is sectoral loyalty on both sides and
some bonds created through training, the PNFP sector needs to become more competitive to retain staff so as to
continue delivering services to deprived communities in Northern Uganda
Description
Keywords
Health workers, Public sector, Private not-for-profit, Uganda, Post-conflict, Attraction, Retention
Citation
Namakula, J., Witter, S., & Ssengooba, F. (2016). Health worker experiences of and movement between public and private not-for-profit sectors—findings from post-conflict Northern Uganda. Human Resources for Health, 14(1), 1-11.10.1186/s12960-016-0114-y