The last cabinet meeting made an important resolution about practitioners in the health sector. It approved the first national duo practice for health professionals, which means physicians, nurses, medical assistants and other clinical personnel can comfortably have two jobs.

Practitioners in public health facilities generally receive low pay and duo practice allows them to supplement their relatively meagre earnings. 

While some physicians and other healthcare professionals in the country have been working two jobs, lack of a policy on duo practice has often resulted in misunderstandings between the practitioners and their supervisors or employers.

This resulted in frustrations forcing some specialists to resign or their employers to push them out when they ventured into private practice.

In addition, it has previously reported that some physicians were having way too much on their plate due to working in more than two places, which naturally compromised the quality of their services.

This could have deadly consequences.

These challenges were in large part blamed on the absence of a clear policy framework on duo practice. Therefore, the national policy – and the associated ministerial instructions – will come in handy.

The framework will remove any ambiguity and help tackle costly inefficiencies that arose from situations where a medic worked in three or even more places.

At one doctor for every 8000 people, Rwanda’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains far behind the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum threshold. The new policy is expected to help public hospitals retain critical skills – at least in some capacity.

A regulated labour mobility between public and private health care practice will help maximise skills and experience, thereby benefiting the population.

But for this to happen there is a need for healthcare practitioners to avoid abusing duo practice and be committed to their profession and patients. Yes, a side job that allows you to make extra income is something we all fancy but nothing is more important than saving lives. There is a reason why physicians are required to take the Hippocratic Oath.  It serves as a sign of strong commitment to professional ethics. 

Fortunately, the new framework offers physicians and other clinical personnel to serve nobly while earning a decent income.