By Alfred Opio
PALLISA — Health inspectors and assistants in Pallisa District are facing mounting criticism from district health authorities over alleged failure to effectively monitor hygiene and sanitation, despite receiving funds under the Primary Health Care (PHC) conditional grant.
The concerns emerged during a district engagement meeting that brought together health workers, exposing tensions between supervisors and frontline implementers of public health programs.
Charles Dickens Okolimong, a district health official, expressed disappointment over the performance of health inspectors, particularly in health promotion and disease prevention.
“There is a PHC conditional grant that supports hygiene education and sanitation monitoring. Funds are released every quarter, and part of that money is meant to support health assistants,” Okolimong said. “However, the impact is not visible on the ground.”
He criticized the neglect of basic sanitation duties, citing poorly maintained public facilities such as boreholes.
“It is not acceptable for a health assistant to claim lack of funds when essential sanitation facilities are in poor condition,” he added. “This reflects a failure to execute their responsibilities.”
Okolimong emphasized that the allocated funds should support routine sanitation activities, including cleaning and minor maintenance of public facilities.
“We cannot continue like this. In the past, there was no funding, but now resources are available. We expect to see improvements,” he stressed.
However, health inspectors and assistants defended themselves, acknowledging the existence of the PHC funds but arguing that the allocations are too small to meet the demands of their work.
They revealed that each health assistant receives between 120,000 and 150,000 shillings per quarter, which they say is insufficient to cover large operational areas.
“This amount cannot enable us to effectively monitor all sanitation facilities in our areas,” one health assistant said. “We cover many villages, and the cost of transport alone is high.”
They further noted that rising fieldwork expenses have forced them to prioritize certain areas, leaving others unattended.
The health workers have now called on district authorities to increase the quarterly allocation to at least 500,000 shillings to improve service delivery.
Public health experts warn that poor sanitation increases the risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, especially in rural communities.
Residents have also expressed concern about sanitation standards, calling for stronger accountability and better support for health workers.
The meeting concluded with a call for improved coordination, increased funding, and stronger supervision to ensure that available resources are used effectively to protect public health in Pallisa District.
