1,700 health workers may lose their jobs

Nurses, whom Uganda is in dire need of, are among those shortlisted for recruitment by Trinidad and Tobago. FILE PHOTO | HALIMA ABDALLAH |   NATION MEDIA GROUP

 

By Rodrigue Rwirahira, RT Special Correspondent

In Summary

• At least 64,000 servants will be affected by the ongoing reforms.
• RSSB officials told Rwanda Today that only a section of the staff will be retained

At least 1,700 workers in the Ministry of Health are at risk of losing their jobs in the coming months as the government transfers the community-based mutual health scheme department to the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).

This is expected shortly after parliament adopts the draft law governing the organisation, functioning and management of health insurance schemes in Rwanda.

The same law will have the country’s flagship health insurance, Mutuelle de sante, integrated into other health insurance schemes under the management of RSSB for efficiency. RSSB officials told Rwanda Today that only a section of the staff will be retained.

According to the officials, the board and the ministries of Labour and Health are looking into mechanisms through which the transfer of staff will be done efficiently.

New structure

“What I can assure you is that we are not going to retain everybody, because a staff complement of as many as 1,700 cannot all be taken, but we are going to get a big number, according to the yet-to-be-adopted RSSB structure,” said Daniel Ufitikirezi (below), the RSSB director-general.

Mr Ufitikirezi said parallel to the Bill, the new structure governing the body that awaits Cabinet approval shall determine the number of staff that will be assigned to the health scheme once it falls under the RSSB. However, the yet-to-be-identified employees will be subjected to more assessments and evaluation to assert each with a designated working position.

“We probably will take some but those outside the line will have to be sorted out by institutions in charge of labour and public services,” said Mr Ufitikirezi adding that the board’s main task will be making collections and paying benefits.

At least 64,000 servants will be affected by the ongoing reforms. While some are likely to lose their bread earning means, according to the Public Service Commission, the law provides that any civil servant suspended for any reason shall be entitled to six months salary awaiting further decision.

Ensure efficiency

“What we need to understand is that all this is done to ensure efficiency within the public service, and that the reforms are not in any way meant to dismiss public employees,” said Angelina Muganza, the executive secretary at the commission.

Mrs Muganza added that employees who will be affected by the sweeping reforms will be paid for a period of six months starting from the day they will be suspended.

According to the General Statute for Public Service, a public employee can, among other things, be suspended on duty if there is a freeze on jobs or job suppression.

Employees who will be affected by the job freeze are officially permitted to start applying for jobs while on suspension while at the same time waiting for a resumption of service or automatic dismissal.