By Kebba AF Touray
In a special audit, the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed the non-existence of staff service rules at Gambia’s main referral hospital (EFSTH).
According to the NAO, the absence of the said service rule could potentially lead to ambiguity in the functions and potential conflict in the execution of the functions, which may result in a lack of accountability.
Staff Service Rule Finding
The NAO explained that from the review of the hospital’s files and discussion with the key management personnel, “the audit team noted that there are no approved staff service rules at the hospital.”
The audit office stressed this issue as a high priority and recommended that the hospital management ensure that a “comprehensive staff service rule is developed and implemented that clearly defines roles and responsibilities, and disciplinary issues for all staff in the hospital”.
No Scheme of Service for EFSTH:
The office reported that their finding indicated that the hospital’s policy files and discussions with the Director of Administration “revealed that the EFSTH does not have a formal scheme of services.”
This, according to the Audit Office, could lead to no defined structure for promotions and professionals, resulting in demotivated staff.
They therefore recommended that the hospital management develop and implement a comprehensive scheme of service with detailed job descriptions for all positions, outlining specific duties, responsibilities, and required qualifications.
No Key Performance Indicators for Staff at EFSTH:
Upon reviewing personal files of staff, they were informed by the Director of Administration that “EFSTH does not have established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).”
The KPI, as highlighted by the NAO, is to measure and monitor performance across various departments and services.
The NAO indicated that the lack of KPIs to evaluate and measure the performance of staff could lead to management making suboptimal performance decisions.
“The management should ensure that they develop and implement a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for better performance-related decisions,” NAO said.
Management, while responding to the issues flagged by the NAO, replied that on the issue of the absence of a service rule, “The consultation process on the service rule and scheme of service is currently ongoing.”
With regards to the lack of a scheme of service, the management said that it is already working on the scheme of service, and consultation is at an advanced stage.
“Management agrees with the findings and recommendations and will consider this,” said EFSTH Management on the lack of KPIs.
