Medical workers demand sh200,000 risk allowance

MEDICAL workers have demanded a monthly risk allowance of sh200,000 for health workers, reports Charles Wendo. At a news conference at Hotel Africana, Kampala, yesterday, leaders of four medical workers' associations said they faced risks of contracting deadly diseases from patients, regardless of their ranks or where they are deployed. The leaders are Apollo Nyangasi of the Uganda Medical Workers' Union, Margaret Mungherera of the Uganda Medical Association, Francis Lacor of the Uganda Dental Association and Janet Obuni of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association. The organisations formed a task force to push for the risk allowances and ensure adequate training and protection of medical workers. They said the Government was not doing enough to protect health workers. Mungherera said, "Don't think only the people who died of Ebola were at risk. We are all at risk. I can get pricked with a needle and get HIV, and so can every medical worker." She said because of the poor remuneration and understaffing, the quality of health services in government health institutions is very poor. She said the Government health expenditure per capita was only US$4 instead of the $20 recommended by WHO. "How can a messenger in one department be paid sh300,000 a month and a nurse paid sh60,000?" she said. Nyangasi said they would issue an ultimatum after which "everything will blow up." Workers' union General Secretary Dr. Sam Lyomoki said, health workers would only strike if dialogue with the Government failed. Ends.