Health
Doctors announce nationwide strike starting November 22nd
Doctors have under the Uganda Medical Association (UMA), announced that they will go on striker starting November 22md after it was postponed from November 6th for better planning purposes.
In August this year, the doctors issued a notice to the government informing them that they would go on strike on November 6 if their demands were not met.
The demands include; that the government should fill more than 40 percent of the vacant posts in public health facilities, increase the pay of intern doctors to 2.1 million as directed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, compensate the families of health workers who succumbed to COVID-19 and provide medical supplies like oxygen in health facilities.
They are also demanding for the government to include medical interns and senior house officers in the public service salary structure.
Dr. Andrew Twineamatsiko the Public Relations Officer of UMA argues that the new industrial action dates were agreed upon by the new management.
“We held a meeting to discuss the strategies and road map for the much-needed industrial action whose goal is to better the health system of Uganda. We agreed that at exactly 00:01 hours of November 22, the strike would start,” Twineamatsiko says.
Also, Dr. Herbert Luswata the secretary-general of UMA says the strike was delayed due to managerial issues like the official handover from the old to the new leadership.
Led by Dr. Richard Idro, the old leadership of the association had expected the government to present a statement addressing their demands two weeks ago during the Grande Doctors Conference, however, none of the invited top management officials at the ministry of health like the permanent secretary Dr. Diana Atwine attended the conference.
Emmanuel Ainebyoona the health ministry senior public relations officer urged the doctors to be patient since a supplementary budget was before parliament to address their needs.
