UMA threatens
The Forum for Democratic Change-FDC Party has faulted the Electoral commission for fostering violent campaigns in the Kayunga LC5 by elections.
FDC has condemned acts of violence meted on members of the National Unity Platform during final that left some people injured and others arrested.
On Tuesday, security personnel fired live bullets and teargas to disperse hundreds of NUP supporters in Kayunga Town Council who were protesting the cancelation of the final campaigns of their candidate Harriet Nakwede.
FDC Spokesperson John Kikonyogo says that the Electoral Commission conspired with the government to deny residents of Kayunga a peaceful election.
Kikonyogo says Ugandans have suffered the brunt of violence and various irregularities in elections. He says go against everything Ugandans sacrificed in the bush to send away the past governments.
Doctors under their umbrella body, Uganda Medical Association (UMA) have threatened to run to Court over a one week notice by the Ministry of Health to fire practicing interns.
On Friday last week, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director-General of Health Services, at the Ministry of Health, directed striking intern doctors to vacate all public hospitals in one week and create room for their successors.
UMA threatens
The Ministry was planning to incorporate junior medical interns to start practice in government health facilities as their seniors had only two months to conclude training.
However, UMA president Dr Samuel Oledo says the eviction notice was illegal and will be squashed in the Courts of law.
While speaking to journalists on Wednesday morning, Oledo demanded that Dr. Mwebasa immediately retracts the directive he made or face Court.
He says they have partnered with Human Rights Organizations, Center for Health, Human Rights and Development who have issued a two day ultimatum to withdraw the statement or they run to Court.
“This act is not only illegal but also a mistreatment and an abuse of the medical profession and also an unprecedented abuse of the rights of all medical doctors, we have reached out to the center for health, Human Rights and Development who have written to the MOH to withdraw the directive within 48 hours of the December 13th .Oledo said
Oledo has directed all intern doctors to stick at their work stations and not to be threatened by the government’s directive to quit.
“No intern in any government facility should leave any medical facilities, remain where you are, if the government fails to do this we have a court injunction prepared by our lawyers to ensure this uncouth treatment of doctors ends. Interns are not students, they are trained medical practitioners and working under supervision of senior colleagues for one year.”He warned
Oledo has directed that no pre- intern will enter a hospital until their seniors are done with internship. No pre-intern is meant to report to the duty station and remain at home until your predecessors are done with internship.
He has also threatened to withdraw all skeleton staff deployed in government hospitals should the government evict intern doctors.
“If an eviction is implemented on our interns, we shall withdraw our emergency services from Friday this week”he warned further
Medical interns have only two months to conclude their one year training period.
Intern doctors have been on strike since November 6, when they laid down tools citing poor working conditions, unpaid allowances and mediocre pay. Over 1,400 medical intern doctors went on a sit down strike demanding that the government increase the budget for their facilitation from the current Shs 11.4 billion to Shs 35 billion in the next financial year in addition to providing decent accommodation. Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng released a statement on Monday afternoon confirming that the government will not negotiate with medical interns.
She says interns are not public servants and are at liberty to make their own decisions regarding work.
“Internship is a training period, it is not work and they are not public servants, so they are free to make a decision not to train. It is up to them because if they don’t train, they will delay their registration period to become medical workers,” Dr. Aceng said.
She has advised intern doctors to stop misbehaving and return to work because the government has already passed a supplementary budget to meet their demands.
“The supplementary they asked for has passed through the process and will be wired to them when ready (maybe in a week’s time or so), so any normal human being should go and finish their internship, it is to their own advantage. Those who are not willing should leave our premises, they are doing nothing there,” she said.
Compiled by Minah Nalule
