An ethical evaluation of faith based health organizations in Uganda: A case study of selected organizations in Arua District

Abstract

The study fundamentally made “an ethical evaluation” of the Faith Based Health Organizations that have been delivering health services in Uganda: A case study of selected organizations in Arua district. It focused on four objectives namely to examine the goals/objectives of FBHOs in giving health services in Arua district, to examine the Ethical Codes and Codes of Conduct related to health service delivery, to assess the challenges faced in health service delivery and propose some practical guidelines to them and to propose ways of enhancing ethical behavior and health service delivery in FBHOs.

The research design adopted was a case study which involved 71 respondents because they emphasized detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events and their relationships. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents from the two faith based hospitals, the District and Diocesan health offices of Arua. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The findings revealed that, despite the fact that FBHOs have the Ethical Codes of Conduct and guides; health service delivery is still ineffective, inefficient and inadequate. The few medical staff in these hospitals coupled with inadequate funds, have been great challenges affecting effectiveness of health service. Most of the health workers felt that their motivation in terms of salary was not enough therefore hindering effectiveness.

The researcher recommended that, Government’s obligation to protect, provide and fulfill proper health services should be strictly observed especially in the rural areas where majority are poor. This is because FBOs too are limited by some constraints which may not allow them to operate efficiently. Therefore, ethical principles such as truth, justice, and benevolence ought to be fulfilled in the health service delivery as well as adherence to code of ethics and conduct for better service delivery.