The Ministry of Health and the Uganda Medical Association on Wednesday confirmed six medical personnel attached to Mubende Referral Hospital had tested positive for Ebola.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, said: “Six medical personnel have tested positive for  Ebola. We are told they worked on a probable case of Ebola in the theater."

UMA’s President Dr. Samuel Oledo also confirmed six of his colleagues had tested positive and  threatened that medical doctors across the country will lay down their tools if the Ministry of health does not provide the necessary kits.

“I can confirm six of our colleagues who didn’t have the necessary kits have tested positive for the Ebola Virus. They got it from a patient they were operating on and three of them were surgeons. They were five who were working on this patient,” Oledo said.

He said they had shared the names of the contacts of the medical personnel but the Ministry of Health had not followed up on them. Oledo said at Mubende they had over 120 internship medical students from Kampala International University, Clark University and several other students from different medical facilities and that all were exposed.

“It will force us as UMA to ask our colleagues to stay home until the Government puts in place the necessary kits,” Oledo said, urging the government to provide the safety kits and allowances for the medical personnel.

Mubende Resident District Commissioner, Rosemary Byabashaija confirmed the doctors were in isolation but that their condition was not that bad.

She confirmed that they had 42 new cases at the isolation facility and that 16 had tested positive for Ebola virus.

“We lost one patient on Tuesday and we still have 26 people in the emergency section as they await tests,” Byabashaija said.

Ainebyoona denied reports that they had provided the necessary kits for the medical personnel at different hospitals handling the Ebola cases.

“The kits are available but previously before they detected the cases, they might have handled patients. We can’t speculate they got infected because they lacked protective gear,” Ainebyoona added.

He said the Ministry had provided kits and even mobilised those who had previous experience in handling Ebola from Gulu, Bundibugyo and Luwero, those who handled Marburg in Kabale district and had previous experience.

“We have availed training on infection control to all of them and orientation and those who have been infected are being accorded treatment,” Ainebyoona noted.

On Monday last week, the Ministry of Health reported the outbreak of Ebola in the district of Mubende. It has since spread to the districts of Kyegegwa and Kassanda with several deaths reported so far reported.