Walter Uryek-Wun, the Principal Hospital Administrator at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, is the new President of the Uganda National Association of Hospital Administrators (UNAHA). Uryek-Wun was declared the winner in a unanimous vote during the association’s Annual General Meeting held on Friday in Lira City.
The election attracted more than 200 principal hospital administrators drawn from general hospitals, regional referral hospitals, and national referral hospitals across the country. Uryek-Wun, who competed against four other candidates, was eventually unanimously endorsed by delegates during the meeting held under the theme: “Transformative Leadership in Quality Health Service Delivery: The Role of an Administrator.”
He replaces Peter Odyek, the Principal Hospital Administrator at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, who has served as UNAHA president since 2018. Speaking shortly after his election in an interview with Uganda Radio Network, Uryek-Wun welcomed the confidence entrusted to him by members and praised his predecessor for steering the association through a challenging period that included the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said his leadership will focus on strengthening accountability, promoting closer collaboration with the Ministry of Health, advocating for better mental health services, and ensuring administrators play a more active role in government programmes and hospital management.
“UNAHA is very important because it brings together administrators from general hospitals, regional referral hospitals, and national referral hospitals to work collectively in improving health service delivery,” Uryek-Wun said. He outlined a two-year vision aimed at enhancing professionalism among hospital administrators, improving support systems for health workers, and encouraging innovations that can transform healthcare services across Uganda.
UNAHA was formed in 1997 following restructuring within the Ministry of Health that created the position of hospital administrator in Uganda’s public health facilities. Outgoing president Peter Odyek described the election as peaceful and urged the new leadership to focus on innovation and transformation within healthcare institutions.
“Sometimes we tend to act only as managers implementing policies without bringing innovative ideas in resource-limited institutions where transformation is needed,” Odyek said. He credited UNAHA for uniting hospital administrators across the country and promoting collaboration in planning, budgeting, reporting, mobilisation, and partnership building in health facilities.
Odyek also challenged the new leadership to establish stronger welfare systems for administrators, including support mechanisms for members during illness or bereavement, while also advocating for better remuneration and professional development opportunities. He further emphasized the need to strengthen lower health facilities to reduce congestion at regional referral hospitals.
“Lower facilities must be functional in terms of equipment, staffing, and infrastructure maintenance so that regional referral hospitals can effectively serve as referral hubs,” he said. Uryek-Wun is widely experienced in hospital management and public administration. He previously served at St. Anthony Hospital, Tororo, in 2013 before becoming Senior Hospital Administrator at Tororo General Hospital in 2017.
In 2023, he joined the Ministry of Health Uganda as Principal Hospital Administrator, a position he continues to hold. Uryek-wun isn’t new in the field of hospital management. He served in 2013 St Anthony Hospital, Tororo, 2017 at Tororo Hospital as a senior hospital administrator. In 2023, He joined the Ministry of Health as principal hospital administrator, a position he holds to date.
Academic background
Uryek-Wun, 46 years old, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Makerere University, a Master of Arts in Gender and Women Studies, a Master of Science in Health Services Management, a Master of Business Administration, a postgraduate qualification in Public Administration and Management, and a certificate in Administrative Law-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
