KITGUM, May 23, 2026 — Nurses and midwives in Kitgum district have been advised by district health heads to stop borrowing from private money lenders and instead join Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [SACCOs] if they want to attain financial independence.
District officials warned that multiple loans have pushed some health workers, particularly nurses and midwives, into serious indebtedness.
The call was made days ago as nurses and midwives celebrated their Day at St Joseph’s Hospital in Kitgum Municipality. The event brought together health workers from St Joseph’s Hospital Kitgum, St Peter and Paul Health Centre IV Padibe, Padibe Health Centre IV in Lamwo district, Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital Kalongo, St Mary’s Regional Referral Hospital Lacor, and St Pope Paul Aber Hospital in Oyam district.
Sr. Margaret Aryemo, Kitgum Assistant District Health Officer in charge of Maternal Health, said the level of indebtedness among nurses and midwives had reached alarming proportions.
“Most health workers, especially nurses and midwives, have become slaves of financial institutions due to multiple loans,” Aryemo told the gathering.
She said many had borrowed from different money lending companies and were struggling to service their debts on salaries that barely cover basic needs.
Aryemo argued that SACCOs offer the most sustainable alternative. Unlike private lenders, SACCOs allow members to save collectively and access more affordable credit. She also noted that nurses and midwives have limited opportunities for additional income.
“Nurses and midwives cannot engage in side hustles because they are always busy with patients, as their profession demands,” she said.
To address the root of the problem, Aryemo called on government to increase salaries for nurses and midwives so that they can focus on their work without financial stress.
Ambrose Ocen, Vice Chairperson of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union [UNMU] for Northern Uganda, supported the SACCO proposal.
He acknowledged that current salaries often fall short of nurses’ needs, leaving them vulnerable to exploitative lenders.
“Sometimes the salaries these nurses and midwives get cannot meet their needs, and it is important for them to join SACCOs as a bailout,” Ocen said.
He cautioned nurses against taking on additional work to supplement their income, saying it risks distracting them from their core duty of saving lives.
Citing his own membership in the Gulu Nurses and Midwives Union SACCO, Ocen said the cooperative model “can work well” for health workers seeking financial relief.
Dr Pamela Atim Okot, Medical Director of St Joseph’s Hospital, added that financial discipline remains critical regardless of income level.
“Financial discipline can enable someone to properly manage their salary, however small it may be, by the end of the month,” Okot said.
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