Insensitivity will not solve the challenges facing health sector

If positive action had been taken, the strike would have been averted. Unfortunately, for the three weeks or so now, all that has been done is the display of arrogance, insensitivity and power. Around 2010, medical workers assisted by the Health Services Committee of Parliament, secured modest pay increases after extensive negotiation.
Parliament had to withhold approval of the budget of the Ministry Health to force action. Government then committed to a salary review, which has now become the standard response on matters of salary enhancement. As they say, lies have very short legs and every time the truth comes to the fore! This salary review is mentioned to put off the heat, after that the Executives go on holiday, waking up again when there is another strike.
Even now, there are no new demands - just improved working conditions and a salary enhancement. In response, the government tried to rock the cohesion of the medics using all threats, promises and buy offs and intimidation by the RDCs. RDC’s are better paid and facilitated than doctors yet on the academic scale, you do not need any better than an A-Level or its equivalent to become an RDC and be entitled to a car, a house, body guards and a good office. Tell me how many people have died in Uganda because their district has no RDC? Compare this to how many die every time there is no doctor or nurse to help. It is an insult to ask person of that minimum academic stature to whip a medical worker, who spends six years at university learning the tools of a very specialised trade. Then comes in the Minister of Health, my sister in the Lord Jane Ruth Aceng, backed by the power of the State, standing akimbo and telling off her colleagues in the profession! It is amazing how power has such influence over memory. Before joining the ministry headquarters, Dr Aceng served at Lira Regional Referral Hospital and would appear before Parliament pleading for improved working conditions and complaining about the then dilapidated state of the hospital. She talked about the low morale of medical workers and how hard it is to supervise and maintain on call doctors, who are poorly motivated. I personally celebrated her elevation hoping it would enhance advocacy for the sector. Just wondering whether much has changed to warrant such threats or is this a case of memory loss.
Then comes the Presidential directive to deploy army doctors. I once visited the medical facility at Mbuya barracks and noted the shortage of medical personnel. So if the army had such a good number of medical workers, where are they based? How would they work without equipment? Recently, our wonderful army was deployed to substitute extension workers in agriculture without the necessary training, and we all know that seeds were distributed after the rainy season, poor seedlings were given to farmers and the army had no expertise to manage the Army worms! Mr President Sir, this is not a matter of mere deployment and walking in the wards.
Overall, the disfunctionality of the medical system in Uganda cannot be fixed by RDCs, ministerial orders and Presidential directives. It requires more than that. The reason our leaders are not being sensitive to the heart rending cry of the medical workers is that they are not treated in the public facilities. Their families are flown to Europe and India for small ailments at the taxpayers’ cost. Why not fix the medical system so that the taxpayer, who is the burden bearer, is healthy enough to work for our leaders?
I propose to government to drop all those ridiculous orders as these are not soldiers. These are professionals who have endured hard working conditions. Let Government pass a supplementary budget, re-organise the Ministry of Health and other related budgets like you did with Parliament budget just to raise money for bribing voters over Article 102(b). I propose a middle ground where when supplementary funds are raised, lump sum allowance of an agreed figure be paid to each medical worker in three installments as you plan to streamline this into the budget for the next financial year.

Ms Alaso is a born again politician
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