HEALTH | WORKERS | COVID VACCINATION

KAMPALA - Health workers have one week to comply with the directive by the director-general of health services, Dr Henry Mwebesa, to either get vaccinated or stay away from their workstation.

Last Friday, Mwebesa directed health workers who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 not to report to work.

He said those who will be absent from duty for more than two weeks, on account of not being vaccinated, would be deemed to have absconded and this would lead to termination of their services.

“Going forward, health workers will not be allowed to work, until they are vaccinated,” he said.

Mwebesa made the remarks during the 27th health sector joint annual review at Imperial Royale Hotel in  Kampala, last week.

The Kenyan health minister, Mutahi Kagwe, this week issued a warning that Kenyans will be barred from public places, including bars, restaurants and public transport starting December 21, if they are not fully vaccinated.

The director-general also reiterated that teachers who are not vaccinated would not be allowed to teach as the Government plans the reopening of schools in January next year.

Dr Mwebesa’s call for health workers and teachers to get vaccinated comes at a time when the country is targeting to vaccinate 22 million people, to combat the deadly coronavirus. He said many vaccine doses have been distributed to the districts and called upon local leaders to mobilise the masses for vaccination.

“You should conduct outreaches in churches, mosques and markets to mobilise people to get vaccinated,” Mwebesa said.

He also tasked district health officers with filing timely reports on the number of people who have been vaccinated, so that the health ministry captures the data in the national data system.

President Yoweri Museveni recently said Chief Administrative Officers, Resident District Commissioners and other leaders would be sacked if they allow vaccines to expire without being used. 

Dr Celestine Barigye, the director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital,  appealed to the Government to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to the new cities, rather than relying on the supplies from the districts and gazette regional referral hospitals, as vaccination centres.

He gave an example of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital not having vaccines, yet they were in the villages. 

“Cities have been left out and the  Mbarara Hospital does not have vaccines, yet there are vaccines in the villages. Why not gazette regional  referral hospitals as vaccination  centres?” Dr Barigye asked.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said COVID-19 remains a threat and, therefore, the Government has made it a priority to vaccinate citizens to combat the deadly disease. She said 10 million vaccines are available and implored district leaders to ensure that the masses in their districts are vaccinated. 

Others speak out 

The president of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union, Justus Kiplangat, said he supports the Government’s directive of unvaccinated health workers to keep away from duty, until they are vaccinated.

“All health workers should be vaccinated and if they have not been vaccinated, they are not supposed to touch patients,” Kiplangat said.

The president of the Uganda  Medical Workers, Dr Samuel  Oledo, said the Government’s directive is a policy matter and, therefore, health workers should not be subjected to it.

He warned that health workers should not be forced to undergo vaccination and promised that the association would issue a press statement over the matter. “He (director-general of health services) cannot coerce people to be vaccinated,” Dr Oledo said.