Nurses under their umbrella body Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union are currently embroiled in a closed door meeting with government officials at Public Service commission.
According to sources, the parties in the meeting are discussing the nurses’ salary scheme.
The scheme is supposed to outline among other things; job descriptions to be able to contain nurses that have attained degree qualifications who until today are not absorbed in public service.
Nurses’ s and midwives’ schemes of service come as a promise from the meeting the Union had with President Museveni on Monday.
According to the Union’s General Secretary, Paul Bukenya, even nurses that upgrade to bachelors’ degree level are not contained in the public service scheme.
“This is not only frustrating but it has escalated brain drain in nursing profession,” he said. He adds that since the nurses who upgrade find it unfit to work with the country’s health system since their qualifications are not considered in the salary grading system.
An enrolled midwife who is the lowest cadre in the nursing profession earns about Shs 470,000 a month and these usually enrol at Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) level.
A senior Principal nursing officer who is a degree holder and diploma holder earns just slightly above Shs 800,000.