Medical Laboratory Professionals abandon strike after government promised to address their grievances

Medical Laboratory Professionals working in government health facilities have abandoned their three-week-long strike after the Public Service Ministry promised to recognize, hire and pay degree holders well.

The development was communicated by Sylvia Nabuddo, the Deputy General Secretary of, Uganda Medical Laboratory Technology Association (UMLTA) while speaking to journalists on Friday.

According to Nabuddo, they held a meeting with Public Service Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa early in the week who promised to address their grievances that include failure to harmonize the structure of service and recognize district laboratory, focal persons, as Assistant District Health Officers in charge of lab services.

These issues, Mukasa promised will be sorted in a month’s time.

During the same meeting, the two parties also agreed that starting with the coming Financial Year 2022/2023, the lab technicians will earn a salary categorized as medical one in Public Service structures from medical two that they are currently categorized under.

Under medical one, they will be earning a monthly salary of 3.3 million Shillings, an increment from 2.2 million Shillings, according to UMLTA’s Vice President Patrick Wabuyi.

Wabuyi however adds that his colleagues have not been earning the old salary too because the government has to date not been recognizing degree holder lab techs and they have all been earning a salary of a diploma holders amounting to 1.2milliom Shillings. 

Muruli Mukasa asked the striking health workers to immediately call off their strike promising to solve their grievances noting that they are in consultations which they hope to have solved by February 12.

There are about 13,000 registered lab professionals, with 10,000 in active service, according to statistics by Allied Health Professionals Council.