The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health and representatives from the Uganda Nurses and Midwife Union (UNMU) are against the government’s proposed allowance for health workers involved in the COVID-19 vaccination process.
According to a circular released last week by the ministry of public service, nurses who are vaccinating people should receive lunch allowance of Shs 5,000 per day.
However, the leadership of the nurses union together with health ministry officials are against the move saying that it is tantamount to accepting a bribe to do they are already paid to do.
The president of the Union, Cherop Justus Kiplangat says that government should not pay nurses money to carry out immunization.
Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the minister of health in charge of Primary Health Care says that the need of this fee shows a lack of professionalism among health workers.
“During this campaign, I have visited a number of health centers and found that at times our nurses are not professional. This disease is not about to go away. It is here to stay and vaccination should be looked at the same way routine immunization is. But in some places I went to nurses were asking for an allowance to do work they have always done through routine immunization. This is not professional,” she said.
Over 500 nurses are involved in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign. If the government is to pay the nurses, it would spend Shs 12.5 million every week. Dr. Diana Atwine, the health ministry permanent secretary says the allowance is not sustainable.
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