Doctors call off May strike
The president of UMA, Dr Samuel Odong Oledo (centre), accompanied by (left to right) nursing officer Maria Nantayi, the UMA chair of welfare, Dr Alone Nahabwe, and UMA’s deputy secretary general Faith Nabushawo addresses a press conference at Mulago Guest House in Kampala on March 30, 2022. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- Dr Herbert Luswata, the UMA secretary-general, said they will be monitoring whether the new promise will yield results.
Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has said doctors will not undertake the planned May 1 industrial action because of a positive signal from the government over the pay raise demands.
Dr Herbert Luswata, the UMA secretary-general, told this publication yesterday that they will be monitoring whether the new promise will yield results.
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“I had a chat with Mr Joe Ssebikaali, the vice chairperson of the Health Committee of Parliament, and he informed me that the money required to increase salaries for specialists, consultants and senior consultants has been secured by the committee and, therefore, the discrepancies, which UMA has been complaining about, are going to be sorted,” he said.
“We are considering extending our industrial action from the earlier informed date of May 1 to May 31 to observe if this money is in the Budget,” he added.
Mr Ssebikaali and Dr Charles Ayume, the Committee chairperson, couldn’t be immediately reached for comments by press time. However, the State minister for Health in-charge of General Duties, Ms Anifa Kawooya, had earlier told this newspaper that the government was reviewing the issues of the salary increment. She said the salaries would be increased in bits from year to year because the government has limited resources.
Last year, UMA launched an industrial action on the same demands for the better welfare of doctors and the healthcare of Ugandans, which was suspended when the government delivered on some of the demands and agreed to implement other requests as part of the Shs450b budget allocation for the Financial Year 2022/2023.
Museveni’s directive
Dr Samuel Oledo, the UMA president, on April 14, said in the recent Ministry of Public Service announcement, the increments reflected for medical officer special grade (specialist) level up to the senior consultants are not in line with the presidential directive.
“We thank the President for providing the Shs2.5m in allowances for the senior house officers and medical interns. We appreciate the Shs5 million for medical officers that have been stated in the salary structure which was released by the Public Service ministry in line with the presidential directives,” Dr Oledo said.
“However, the increments reflected for the other medical doctors from medical officer special grade (specialist) level up to the senior consultants are not in line with the presidential directive, which ordered a minimum of Shs5 million for the entry-level medical officer and a salary of Shs20 million per month for the highest officer, which is a senior consultant ...” he added.
Current salaries
Consultants are getting Shs6m, medical officers or special grade (Shs4.5m), senior medical officers (Shs3.3m) and medical officers, dental surgeons, and pharmacists (Shs3m).
