The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has resolved to continue on the strike of medical practitioners in spite of the meeting they had with President Museveni on Wednesday.
UMA executive committee led by Dr. Odongo Samuel Oledo, together with the elders’ forum, had a day-long meeting with H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the State House in Entebbe.
While in the meeting, sources say the doctors assured the President that they had called off the industrial action only to issue a press release maintaining the status quo hours later.
“The President must be shocked by this late decision. The way they all assured him how the strike is off as they munched samosa, sausages and sipping milik,” said a source.
The meeting with medical doctors at government hospitals in Uganda going on strike from Sunday night after demanding an increment in salaries and health insurance.
As a result, patients have been going through a very difficult time given treatment and surgeries in government hospitals and health centres have been paralyzed by the protest.
The strike was organized by the Uganda Medical Association.
“We have gone on strike because of a lack of medical supplies in government hospitals, the government’s failure to increase our salaries as promised by President Yoweri Museveni in 2017, and a lack of health insurance,” said Dr. Hebert Luswata, the association’s secretary-general.
President Museveni, while addressing the nation in June 2021 and 2017 as well, said doctors’ salaries would be increased but the promise is yet to be fulfilled.
“We discussed a number of issues that include Medical supplies, disease prevention, employment of doctors and ultimately enhancing welfare of health workers including salary enhancement and other benefits,” reads the press release following the meeting held.
While one would expect that the strike would be called off and business would resume as usual, the committee has however decided that the strike should continue until government lives up to its word and implements whatever was agreed upon.
“We are waiting for commitment from the government, implementation plan and tangible deliveries. Until then we maintain the status quo in regards to the Industrial Action,” the statement read.
The association maintains that they remain committed to getting quality healthcare and welfare for medical doctors in Uganda.
