Medical workers under their body, Uganda Medical Association (UMA) have threatened to strike again if government doesn’t deliver on its promise to increase their salaries. The government promised last year that the salaries would be increased in this financial year. The promise helped quell a strike then by the medical workers.
However, according to Dr Samuel Odongo Oledo, who is the President of UMA, the Ministry of Health has not yet submitted the budget for salary increment for medical workers.
Odongo told the press on Sunday that they are eagerly waiting to see the welfare of medical workers included on the budget of 2022/2023.
“We pass this as a painful statement, come May 1, 2022, if these directives are not included in the budget framework, doctors will have no choice but to go for a full-blown national industrial action which we do not want to be part of,” he said.
“The Ministry of Finance made it clear that the Ministry of Health had not yet submitted the budget. So we expect the Ministry of Health to work with the Ministry of Finance to make sure they submit the budget for welfare, and drugs of the doctors and hospitals. This stepwise increase that was suggested is uncouth, not allowed and we reject it.”
Odongo argued that some Ministry of Health officials are working to stop increment. He, however, expressed optimism that things will work out as they expect.
“We request the Parliamentary Health Committee, and the Parliamentary Budget Committee to ensure that this is prioritized on the Budget Paper Framework for 2022/2023, to be effected in full as was directed by the President, and not in a phased manner as has been stated by some government Officials,” he said.
