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Lira Regional
Referral Hospital

Lira Regional Referral Hospital

Hub and Spoke Mechanism

The objective of the Ugandan health system is to provide Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to all the population, an important aspect of which is access to good quality services. It is composed of various stakeholders with different mandates operating at different levels. For the achievement of UHC, an appropriately structured health system is required to support the maximization of health outputs and outcomes by minimizing inefficiencies, duplication, and inequity.

We note that in the Uganda health system there are overlapping hub and spoke arrangements featuring management and service delivery structures and functions. Supervision (Supportive) is defined as a process that promotes quality at all levels of the health system by strengthening relationships within the system focusing on the identification and resolution of problems and helping to optimize the allocation of resources.

The Hub and Spoke as a model for healthcare organization refers to a network whereby the anchor site (hub- Lira Regional Referral Hospital) offers a full range of services complemented by secondary sites (Spokes-These are the districts of Lira, Alebtong, Oyam, Kwania, Apac, Otuke, Kole, Dokolo and Amolatar) that offer limited services to their home communities. Patients that require intensive services are referred to the hub (Lira Regional Referral Hospital) for management.

Supervision, mentoring, monitoring, evaluation and coordination are closely related functions of management, which the Referral Hospital uses to reinforce one another to support the performance of a health system and play a key role in facilitating quality of health services.

The Referral Hospital undertakes the following functions under the Hub and Spoke Mechanism;

Mentoring

Lira Regional Referral Hospital offers continuous mentorship to lower health facility staff. The quarterly mentorship sessions conducted by the experienced individuals and specialists at the Referral Hospital have helped to develop the skills and practical knowledge of Lower Health Facility staff through a series of time-limited, confidential, one-on-one conversations and other learning activities.

Monitoring

The Referral Hospital through its mandate under the Hub and Spoke mechanism, collects routine data that measure progress toward achieving program objectives. This data is aggregated and uploaded into the DHIS2 system where it is then accessed electronically for analysis.

Evaluation

The Referral Hospital conducts a series of evaluations and measurements of how well program activities have met expected objectives and/or the extent to which changes in outcomes can be attributed to the program or intervention. The outcome of these evaluations provides insight into the planning activities of the hospital.

Coordination

Lira Regional Referral Hospital oversees the synchronization and integration of activities, responsibilities, and command and control structures to ensure that the resources in the Lango Region are utilized most efficiently in pursuit of the specified health care objectives for the region.