The President of Uganda Medical Association (UMA), Dr Sam Oledo, has said fruitful discussions are still taking place between them and the government to call off their strike for a pay increase.

"We have had fruitful engagements with different stakeholders as regards the Presidential directives and as doctors, we are grateful that doors have been opened for timely engagements and way forward to the doctors' welfare and improvement in the working conditions," he told New Vision this Friday.

"We can see light at the end of the tunnel, and we plan of further engagements with the government to see to it that the directives by the fountain of honour are realized by doctors in the specified time frame," he stated.

He, however, regretted the statement made by the state minister for primary health care on one of the television stations in Kampala on their behalf.

A statement he said they choose to dissociate themselves from at such a time when fruitful discussions are ongoing.

"It is our prayer that these discussions see light in the shortest time possible for doctors to resume their duties," Oledo said.

Meeting Museveni

On November 23, President Yoweri Museveni met the executive membership of UMA at State House in Entebbe.

"I reiterated the government's commitment to enhancing their salaries and welfare," Museveni late tweeted.

Health workers, including doctors, consultants, nurses, midwives, interns and pharmacists are striking for a pay increase and the improvement on their welfare.

Today, their strike has entered the fourth day.

Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi raised the issue of the health worker's strike during the plenary session on November 23.

"It's an emergency; hospitals are flooded because there are no medical workers to attend to them. Medical workers have gone on strike because they have been promised severally," he said.

The chairperson of the parliamentary health committee, Dr Charles Ayume, called on the health workers two days ago to call off the strike, saying they had approved supplementary requests that included money for salary enhancement for intern doctors.

"I, therefore, advise the interns to call off their proposed strike," he said in a tweet.