Policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Uganda: a case study

Uganda has a severe health worker shortage and a high demand for health care services; therefore, task shifting is happening in Uganda on a wide scale, at various levels of care, in many forms. This study aims to assess the policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Uganda.

The article notes that the concept of task shifting doesn’t have much publicity, and many health workers have misconceptions of what it is, in spite of successful examples of task shifting in the country. Yet, the authors indicate that there is apparently high acceptance of task shifting in HIV/AIDS service delivery, with involvement of community health workers in care and support of AIDS patients.

Main findings are as follows:

• most of the task shifting is happening without enabling policy, regulations or legal protection for those who undertake delegated tasks
• the policy environment is supportive of task shifting, and the process is underway to develop a policy and guidelines for task shifting in Uganda
• barriers to task shifting include reluctance to change, professional boundaries and regulations, heavy workload and high disease burden, poor planning and lack of strategies.

The document concludes that:

• there is need for clear guidelines to regulate task shifting and protect those who undertake delegated tasks
• the future of task shifting in Uganda will depend on the policy adopted and the extent to which concerns of health professionals are addressed.