Browsing by Author "Njuguna, Kuria Charles"

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    Health System Leadership and Service Delivery during Emergency Condition in North-East Uganda Districts.
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Njuguna, Kuria Charles
    Health system leadership serves a vital role in assuring the continuity of health service and saving the lives of people during public health emergencies. Public health emergency is a dynamic and complex phenomenon that requires a leader who accurately diagnose the occurring situations and adapt leadership according to the demand. Thus, this study aimed at assessing health system leadership status and health service delivery during drought and food insecurity emergency in Northeast Ugandan districts. Specific goals were to; determine the integration of self-correction and reflection activities of health system leadership to deliver health service during the emergency response; determine the compassion of health system leadership to deliver health service during the emergency response; determine partner coordination in drought and food insecurity emergency response and determine partner participation in drought and food insecurity emergency response. The research was anchored on the adaptive leadership framework. This study employed a mixed method to comprehend the health system leadership and service delivery during drought and food insecurity emergency in north-east Uganda. The target population in this study were health facility in-charges, district health officers, and residential district commissioners. The sampling design was simple random method for quantitative survey and purposive method for qualitative interview. The sample size of the study was 150 of health facilities in charges from 50% of the health facilities in the affected region from randomly selected 15 districts impacted by drought and food insecurity emergency. All 15 district health officers and 15 residential district commissioners from the randomly selected districts were included. Structured and semi-structured survey, and observation checklist were utilized to collect data. Quantitative data were processed with ODK and analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that adaptive leadership was effective in sustaining health service delivery during emergencies. Leaders demonstrated self-reflection and self-correction by adjusting strategies to address contextual challenges, while compassionate leadership was evident in supportive supervision and community engagement. Key strategies included strong involvement of Village Health Teams (VHTs), timely distribution of medical and nutritional supplies, mobilization of resources through coordinated partnerships, intersectoral collaboration, and strategic deployment of human resources. Incident Management Teams (IMTs) emerged as vital structures for organizing leadership roles and coordinating response efforts. Despite these successes, five thematic challenges were identified: workforce shortages and burnout, service delivery gaps including supply chain disruptions, patient-level barriers such as mobility limitations and cultural factors, environmental constraints including drought and poor road networks, and governance-related obstacles such as coordination gaps. In conclusion, adaptive leadership proved essential in maintaining health services during drought and food insecurity emergencies. Strengthening partner coordination, enhancing communication, investing in local capacity building, and ensuring continuous supervision are recommended to improve resilience. Integrated interventions that address systemic challenges are vital for building robust health systems capable of responding effectively to future emergencies