Collaborative Health Care: Kassangati Centre (Uganda)

Collaborative health Care
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Introduction
The very nature of the healthcare care setting is such that it can be complicated. There are multiple interacting factors which bring about the complexity. The complexity increases the chances of conflict arising. As such, management of the conflict that is likely to arise is necessary to ensure a functional environment. Of even greater importance in the management of conflict in this set up is to ensure that patient care is not negatively impacted. In this discussion, the aspect of conflict in a healthcare setting has been extensively addressed. Possible solutions and how to effectively manage the conflict has also been discussed.
Background Information
Although conflict management at the workplace can prove to be daunting and time consuming task, it is highly imperative to ensure that the services offered to patients are not interfered with. Conflict can occur among physicians or between physicians and supporting staff. The conflict could also be between patients and or their families and the physicians. The nature of conflicts will vary from mere disagreements to serious litigation suits. When conflicts occur in a healthcare setting, the most vulnerable group of people is patients. The quality of services that they receive could be adversely affected. In addition, workplace conflict leads to a hostile working environment which could lead to high rates of employee turnover. It is for this reason that workplace conflict must be managed in the most effective way.
Kassangati Health Centre- Uganda
Uganda is a country in East Africa with a functional health care setting. Although there is a health care system in place, there are multiple challenges that system faces consideration that Uganda is a developing economy. One of the hospitals in Uganda, the Kaasangati Health Care Centre, which provides health services to the majority of Ugandans in the southern region presents some of the conflict that arise in a care giving set up. The hospital set up also shows clearly how conflict can potentially affect the services rendered to patients.
One challenge which is a source of conflict is the amount of compensation given to care givers in the hospital. From interviews conducted, participants openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the amount of salary they are given as compared to the amount of work done. These being a hospital at the district level, employees are highly understaffed. The issue of low compensation was cited as one of the most contentious. The issue is so serious that some employees have to find alternative means to supplement their meager earnings. This means that the quality of services is likely to be compromised if employees have to work multiple jobs to make extra income. Often most doctors and nurses who work at this health care centre also have their own private practice with which they can supplement their small packages.
This nature of conflict can be described as systemic and structural. This is to mean that is a conflict that is brought about by the nature of the system and the manner in which it is structured. Often, dealing with this kind of conflict will always present a challenge. This is because it ...