The masses across the country to continue suffering with the different health problems as doctors in the different government hospitals continue with their industrial strike for the nonpayment of their allowances that accumulated for six months.
The industrial strike today enter day 5 and the Senior Health Officers (SHOs) who are under taking their masters degree program at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology and the medics vowed to continue laying down their tools until they are paid their monthly allowances.
Although government paid some doctors an allowance for two months, in their annual general assembly which to place on February 23, 2023 that was attended by more than 300 doctors, they resolve to continue with the industrial action to compel government to adhere to their needs.
Doctor Robert Lubega the Chief Resident of the SHO’s while addressing journalist at Mulago guest house on February 23, 2023 said that in the meeting he convened, 90% of his members agreed to continue with the industrial action despite government paying some of them.
“ We are not calling off our industrial action because, despite announcing a notice of action on February 17, 2023, no reply has come to our way from the concerned government officials.’’ Dr. Lubega said.
He further said that he has learned that the ministry has paid a few of his members the allowance for only two months but the majority hasn’t received even a single coin yet those in Mbale hospital and Mbarara have gone six months without pocketing any shilling.
Dr. Lubega also said that the medical supplies are also lucking in the referral and regional hospitals and in many occasions doctors dig deep into their pockets to see that they buy some of the supples so as to extent the service to the paients.
The welfare secretary for Uganda Medical Association (UMA) Dr. Aaron Nahebwa said that the SHOs do most of the work in the referral and regional hospitals thus covering the human resource gap of the consultants that the ministry of health is currently facing therefore such people must be handled with great care in terms of payment.
“ We need a clear policy on SHOs such that government can make them permanent medical officials and start paying them salaries as opposed to the monthly wages. This will help to solve the challenge of continuous industrial actions.’’ Dr. Nahebwa reasoned.
He further said that such medical personnel go on strike it the ordinary people who suffer a lot because they don’t have medical insurance like government official who have such privilege and can afford to go to the specialized private hospitals here and abroad.
Doctor Nahebwa also revealed that government needs only UGX 23 billion annually which translates to only UGX 2 billion per month to pay the allowances of all the SHOs who are in the different government hospitals country wide.
It should be noted that although medical doctors go months without receiving their allowances, the country is still facing a huge challenge of the man power gap especially at the level of senior health officials as indicated in the 2016 ministry of health report. The report revealed that the patient- doctor ratio stood at 1:25,000 yet the World Health Organization standards is at 1:1000.
The ministry of health public relations officer was unavailable to comment of the continued industrial action by the SHOs despite efforts to reach him and his known mobile telephone number was unavailable.
By George Bukenya