Mulago National Referral Hospital is one of the facilities hit by absenteeism by health workers
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Uganda’s public health care sector has been tormented with absenteeism where many practitioners obtain pay without putting in time and effort.
Smart Applications International (Uganda) Limited, an innovative firm recently introduced a biometric machine that can weed out this problem.
Judy Mugoya the firm’s country manager, said that the issue of absenteeism is a big problem and can contribute to poor service delivery, inefficiencies in healthcare facilities, and a lack of accountability among medical personnel.
“We recently introduced a biometric attendance management system, dubbed the Smart Time and Attendance solution, that ensures only present and active employees can log into their workstations,” she said in a recent interview.
She further noted that this system works by requiring medical practitioners to verify their presence at work through biometric authentication, preventing cases of ghost workers and absenteeism.
Judy Mugoya, the Smart Applications International (Uganda) Limited’s Country Manager
Mugoya further pointed out that the biometric system enhances Real-Time Workforce Monitoring – Hospital administrators can track attendance remotely and ensure that staffing levels match patient needs.
“It also eliminates ghost workers – since only verified employees can clock in, preventing unauthorized payroll claims. It also improves service delivery by ensuring medical personnel are accountable for their duties directly enhances patient care,” she further pointed out.
Mugoya said that by integrating biometric technology with human resource management systems, Smart Applications is providing a practical and effective solution to one of the most pressing challenges in Uganda’s healthcare sector.
Continent-wide approach
Smart Application International has spread its wings around East Africa and has dreams to expand continent wide.
Said Mugoya: “We envision a continent-wide digital healthcare ecosystem that promotes seamless access to healthcare services across Africa. We are currently operating in 12 African countries,” she said.
Key challenges include low insurance penetration, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory hurdles, but Smart remains committed to driving digital healthcare transformation in Uganda.
Smart Applications International (Uganda) Ltd is a pioneering healthcare technology company that has been at the forefront of digitizing healthcare access and management across Uganda.
As a subsidiary of Smart Applications International, the Uganda office was established in 2009 with the primary goal of transforming healthcare service delivery through cutting-edge digital solutions.
