Doctors body sued over boss’ qualifications

Sued. Joel Okullo

What you need to know:

  • Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council is a quasi-government professional organisation, established by Act of Parliament, responsible for licensing, monitoring and regulating the practice of medicine and dentistry in the country.

Kampala. The Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council has been sued for allegedly electing a chairperson who is not qualified for the position.
The council is jointly sued with its chairperson, Dr Joel Okullo, the Attorney General (AG) and Kampala International University (KIU).

The suit before the High Court was filed by Dr Herman Lule and Dr Molly Yayeri Nalwadda, Mr Benjamin Bangirana, Mr Omwesigye and Mr Jasper Arinda. They claim the council’s decision to elect Dr Okullo as their chairperson amounts to an illegality.
They also claim that Dr Okullo is not a senior practitioner envisaged under the law and medical profession to hold the position of the council’s chairperson and that he was reappointed for the third term contrary to the law.

“The tenure of the chairperson is a three-year term renewable for one other term and no provision is made for any further renewal for the third term or any other term,” reads the petition.
The petitioners claim that Kampala International University is legally culpable for its continued failure to upgrade from a provisional accreditation for the course of Bachelor of Dental Surgery to full accreditation thereby affecting its students and awards of the said qualification.
They want court to order that the Council is illegally and incompetently constituted and thus incapable of executing its statutory duties.

COUNCIL’S FORMATION
Mandate. Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council is a quasi-government professional organisation, established by Act of Parliament, responsible for licensing, monitoring and regulating the practice of medicine and dentistry in the country. The organisation’s mandate includes the regulation of both the practitioners and the practices from where they practice their professions.