Public health workers not happy with government plans to ban them from private work

By Stephen Kalema

Public medical workers, through their association Uganda Medical Association (UMA) have expressed their discontentment towards the government’s plans to ban them from working in private hospitals.

The president of UMA, Dr. Ekwaro Obuku said this is an act of slavery and reducing their freedom as medical doctors. It is also against their rights as Ugandans.

“We have problems as other Ugandans and our salaries can’t sustain us to solve our needs. So we need to look for money and I think they would have first consulted us before proposing this. We are stakeholders and we must be consulted,” said Obuku.

On Wednesday, State Minister for General Duties, Ministry of Health Sarah Opendi revealed plans by government to ban all medical workers attached government health facilities from working in private health facilities.

“We have received a lot of complaints from the public that our public health servants are absent always at health facilities. But this is because they spend much time working in private hospitals leaving our patients in public hospitals dying for that matter with effect from next year in January no any public health servant will be allowed to work in any private hospitals,” said Opendi.

Opendi said this following an argument raised by Nakaseke Member of Parliament, Lutamaguzi Ssemakula asking government to monitor its staff after a pregnant woman in his constituency lost her life during birth due to negligence and absence of doctors.

Obuku said the only way doctors attached to government health facilities survive is through private work since government pays them small money. He, however, warned them not to destabilise health workers by slapping on them such restrictions because they work in hardships.

However, Opendi said all the time medical doctors have been complaining of little pay but their cry was heard so government has rights to demand services from them.

“Medical doctors have always been complaining of little salary. Fortunately, in the budget 2018/19 they increased their salaries. I am still wondering why they are absent we came to notice that some doctors take public drugs into their own clinics, lots of doctors in public health facilities don’t attend to patients,” added Opendi.