Museveni threatens to declare state of emergency if doctors strike

Medical doctors under their umbrella body, Uganda Medical Association (UMA), are considering calling off their imminent strike after President Yoweri Museveni reportedly threatened to declare a state of emergency and arrest them if they down their tools.
Doctors in public hospitals recently announced that they would strike on November 6 if the government does not raise their salaries and related remunerations.

On Tuesday, President Museveni held a meeting with representatives of medical workers at State House Entebbe.

State Minister for Primary Health Care, Joyce Moriku Kaducu, told Daily Monitor that the doctors, during the meeting, accepted to call off the strike.

“We had a successful meeting with the doctors accepting to calling off their industrial action but rather focus on dialogue with Ministry of Health and other stakeholders,” Ms Kaducu said.
However, in an interview, UMA President, Dr Ekwaro Obuku told said they did not called off the strike but decided to pursue dialogue with the President who cut the meeting short to travel to Dubai where he would attend an economic summit.
In a Tuesday morning meeting, President Museveni listened to doctors’ demands which include the need to increase their Duty Facilitation Allowances.
Dr Obuku said the President asked the doctors to call off the strike, because “he would declare a state of emergency and arrest them” if they proceeded with their industrial action.
“The president threatened to call a state of emergency and arrest the doctors to take them back to work but in my interpretation this indicated how important we doctors are in service delivery,” Dr Obuku said.
He said that the decision to call off the strike cannot be endorsed UMA’s National Governing Council but the general assembly.

“We did not agree to call off the strike but further dialogue with the president. We shall have an emergency general assembly on November 6 to make a decision on the matter,” Dr Obuku said.
He said the president had asked him to attend a session with a special committee at the Ministry of Public Service which is reviewing salaries for all public servants.

Dr Kaducu said Mr Museveni blamed the Ministry of Health for poor planning which has created problems like lack of functional medical equipment and accommodation for intern doctors.
As part of their myriad demands, the doctors want government to review their salaries which would see an intern doctor’s salary rise to Shs8.5 million from the current Shs960,000 before tax.
They also want a medical officer or teaching assistant to be paid 15million, be given a 2-bedroom house and a 2.5cc vehicle.

According to their ambitious salary demands, a senior consultant doctor or professor will be the highest paid health work with a gross salary of Shs35 million minus allowances.
In addition, the officer would be entitled to a five bedroom house, a 4.0cc vehicle and three domestic workers.

Currently, a senior consultant doctor earns about Shs3.4 million, a consultant Shs2.6 million, while a medical officer pockets Shs1.1 million.

Dr Obuku said the meeting focused on the Duty Facilitation Allowance which needs an annual allocation of Sh90 billion to cater for all health workers in the country.

“The Shs90 billion for allowances is a better return on investment compared to the Shs200 billion spent on the emoluments for Members of Parliament,” he said.
[email protected]