There was excitement and ululations from a cross section of medics, when the Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng and that of State for Finance David Bahati, announced that cabinet has aligned their salaries with their counterparts in public Universities.
The disclosure was made during the conclusion of a two day National Health Sector National Development Plan 111 (NDP 111) workshop, held at Imperial Royale Hotel, in Kampala.
“We agreed in cabinet to align your salaries with medics teaching in public universities for the financial year 2019/2020. There were mistakes made in aligning your salaries in the last financial year, which have now been corrected," said Bahati, amidst applause from the excited audience.
He added: “The decision to align your salaries was reached after discovering some medical directors in credible public hospitals, were running away for green pasture to teach in Universities”. He said his Ministry is committed to listening to the plight of medical personnel welfare."
“For us who are not medical doctors, we do listen to what you tell us."
Bahati reiterated the need for local FM radios to dedicate a one hour programme on nutrition teachings, to eradicate both Communicable and Non Communicable Diseases in society.
On her part, Aceng said apart from addressing medical personnel’s remuneration, government is committed to putting in place targets to improve health care infrastructure, to attract many medics to the profession.
She said the National Health Insurance Bill is currently before cabinet and will be sanctioned into law before June 2019. “You do not need to run away for green pasture because the pasture is now spread everywhere”, she said.
