Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, has been summoned to appear before the August house and explain the reasons behind the termination of the contracts of medical workers who volunteered during the peak of the Covid-19.
Parliament has summoned the health minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng to appear before the August house and explain the reason behind the termination of the contracts of medical workers who volunteered during the peak of the Covid-19.
While issuing the summon, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa said he has received queries that the workers who volunteered in the fight against the coronavirus have not yet been recruited by the Ministry of health contrary to the Presidential directive.
As a result, he requested the health minister to present a statement next week on the matter. Tayebwa told the house that following the presidential directive, the Health Service Commission employed all eligible medical officers.
He mentioned that on 10 November 2021, the Health Service Commission wrote to all directors of government health facilities that it was going to run a validation exercise of all Covid-19 emergency workers.
“They were regularised, they started working and they even started getting some loans,” Tayebwa mentioned.
He, however, raised concern that the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine overlooked this directive and terminated contracts of medical officers already employed in various parts of the country.
Tayebwa said this was not the right way to reward people who sacrificed and risked their lives at a time when the Covid-19 was deadly. He challenged the ministry to treat these people fairly saying that another pandemic might pop up and yet they will still need their services.
“So after saving us and Covid-19 is gone we are terminating their contracts. What if Covid-19 comes back? I do not know how we shall call these people again to volunteer,” Tayebwa said.
Meanwhile, many Ugandans have reacted to the summon on social media including one individual who tweeted saying that the ministry has not only refused to recruit these people but many of them are still demanding money for the services they offered then.
“Over 100 front liners did receive any payments since November last year and no risk allowances has been paid to these frontliners from August last year to march 2022, ” he tweeted.
Another also tweeted sharing her experience. She said; “I joined the covid19 fight from the start ,I was breastfeeding my baby of few months then ,when most people were running away. Sweating in coveralls for hours, putting our lives at risk, no we were not even invited for an honorary lunch! We were fired.”
