The Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has cautioned doctors over poor service delivery and customer care citing poor dressing code,bad language, negative attitude at work and general poor management as the major vices that need to be urgently rectified within the Health sector.
In a one day meeting that took place at Lemigo Hotel this Friday, Habumuremyi said that the Health sector is sensitive where proper service delivery and customer care must be paramount.
While Doctors looked on quietly in disbelief, the Prime Minister introduced the matter that they had been called for, only to find that it was their poor way of service to innocent and vulnerable citizens.
“Your domain is very sensitive that even the smallest issue can destabilize all citizens and affect other sectors. All health facilities should be where citizens should go and get hope of healing,” Habumuremyi said.
Habumurenyi said that the Doctors’ code of ethics is now at stake due to continued poor services saying that he has received accumulated messages from citizens complaining about poor treatment from doctors including sexual harassment.
“We know you have lots of challenges, dealing with people from those remote areas is not easy despite lack of some facilities. One health center we visited did not have water but it is among the best health centers offering good services,” Habumuremyi said.
“Being unable to have necessary requirements does not permit let say poor hygiene. You can be poor but you can be listed among the most hygienic persons in the community,” Habumurenyi cautioned.
He said proper service delivery and customer care are national interests where all sectors are requested to improve.
Habumurenyi said he had previously toured and talked with professionals from banking sector and Hotels to see how best it can be achieved.
Habumuremyi said that some doctors and nurses have poor attitude at work as well as poor dressing codes where he highlighted King Faisal Hospital a major referral Hospital in the country.
“I met one specialist at King Faisal Hospital wearing Jeans and a casual shirt and snickers, such a dressing code is unacceptable remember you are role model in the society, that puts a threat on your reputation,”He said.
Referring to Rwanda Development Board current survey on service delivery, prime minister said that it was indicated that among four tourists that come in Rwanda only one admit that s/he has recieved good services.
Habumuremyi implored the heads of District hospitals in the country and other relevant medical practitioners to come up with a checklist of standards that will hike service delivery and customer care in the medical fraternity.
The Prime Minister was lauded by Health Minister Dr. Agnes Binagwaho while saying that the problem is not that it so much alarming in the health sector, it is rather the same or even less but in health sector people needing services are very vulnerable.
“We have a national corporate campaign aimed at improving service delivery and customer care to improve the country’s image across all sectors, it is not only in health sector,” Binagwaho said.
“Doctors and nurses are using poor language when attending to patients. Even in our five star accredited hospital King Faisal they have poor language while attending to patients, even delays and we have cases where some people have opted for medical services out of the country, thats money taken away so our hospitals cannot grow,” Binagwaho added.
Binagwaho said that the solution must come from personnel in the sector adding that even though some challenges are beyond their capabilities.
In the recent grenade attacks ambulances on University Hospital CHUK and Kibagabaga District hospital lacked a driver which is one of the sign of poor management that results into poor service delivery and customer care.
ENDS
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