Doctors are meeting at Mulago hospital to decide on whether or not to go ahead with their industrial strike slated to begin today.
Paulin Byakika, the vice president Uganda Medical Association says she believes the president supports them, adding that they take his interests as their own.
Dr. Byakika says even if they decide to go on strike, emergency cases will be considered. Pregnant women, accident victims and those in coma will be taken care of. They swear to save life and this will be the case.
At Kirudu hospital in Kampala, services were going on smoothly with a few doctors working, though the numbers of patients are high.
The hospital Administration says if doctors after their meeting today decide to go on strike, they will meet tomorrow and forge a way forward. They add that no doctor will be forced to come to work.
Doctors say interns should be treated as full time doctors; they also request an appointment letter for interns from the ministry of public service. Doctors also say interns should get a salary instead of the usual allowance. Interns should also be in special care unit instead of sleeping in slams.
Doctors also say if they get written confirmation from the health ministry that their issues will be dealt with, they will give up on the strike.
Now, as part of their demands, the doctors want government to review their salaries which will see an intern doctor earn Shs8.5million as opposed to the current Shs960,000 before tax.
They also want a medical officer or teaching assistant to be paid Shs15 million and accorded a two-bedroom house and a 2.5cc vehicle.
They propose that a senior consultant doctor or professor will be the highest paid health work with a gross salary of Shs48m plus allowances. These will be accompanied by a five-bedroom house, 4.0cc vehicle, and three domestic workers.
Currently, a senior consultant doctor earns about Shs3.4 million, consultant Shs2.6m, and a medical officer Shs1.1 million.
The doctors also want salaries for nurses and midwives enhanced to about Shs6.5 million besides a three-bed roomed house, 2.0cc vehicle and one domestic worker.
