Doctors undecided on next move

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Medical Association (UMA) is yet to decide on what next after their 90-days’ notice of strike to the government ended last evening.

The doctors who have for the previous two months been releasing a daily countdown on their social media spaces spelling out reasons why they will lay down their tools on November 6 have just voted in their new executive headed by Dr Samuel Oledo  Odongo, a General Surgeon based at Kabale hospital.

In an interview with URN on Sunday, Dr Herbert Luswata, the incoming General Secretary said they will only know their next course of action after a meeting with the leadership of the medical interns this evening where they will guide them on how to continue come Monday.

While the medical interns already announced their strike on Friday,  Lillian Nabwire, who heads the Federation of Medical Interns noted that they can’t speak to the media yet about the issue until the pending meeting.

However, Luswata says Vice President Gen. Jessica Alupo had officiated at their General Meeting on Friday and read to them the same promises of increasing their pay, providing them sundries to work and equipping hospitals that President Museveni had earlier promised and nothing has since been done. He says they won’t be taking more of such promises anymore.

Some of their demands include filling more than 40 per cent of the vacant posts in public health facilities, increasing the pay of intern doctors to 2.1 million as directed by the president, compensating the families of health workers who succumbed to COVID-19, provide medical supplies like oxygen in health facilities and to include medical interns and senior house officers on the public service salary structure.

Dr Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health assures the doctors that they have embarked on meetings with the Ministries of Finance and Public Service to enhance the salaries and also spoken to the Ministry of Gender regarding compensation of families where doctors were lost in line of duty.

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URN