Farewell Dr Kule and all your colleagues

Dec 10, 2007

I write this article as a response to Dr. Jonah Kule’s interview in the Saturday Vision of December 8 and the notes by my friends Dr. Scott and his wife, Dr. Jennifer, in the Sunday Vision of December 9. I thank the Scotts for their honesty and friendship to Dr. Kule. The notes you have written ar

BY DR CHRISPUS KIYONGA

I write this article as a response to Dr. Jonah Kule’s interview in the Saturday Vision of December 8 and the notes by my friends Dr. Scott and his wife, Dr. Jennifer, in the Sunday Vision of December 9. I thank the Scotts for their honesty and friendship to Dr. Kule. The notes you have written are not only useful in recording Kule’s history, but also in shedding some light on the handling of the Ebola crisis.

Dr. Kule and I had never met face to face. He talked to me several times on phone and I also heard quite a lot about him from Dr. Scott.

I want to point out two very significant omissions in the notes of Scott and Jennifer. Dr. Kule literally craved to do medicine after his qualification as a clinical officer and several years of practice.

After three years training as clinical officer, when one wants to pursue a degree in Medicine, one has to start from year one at the Medical School and, therefore, study for at least five other years before one gets the award of a degree in Medicine of Makerere. That explains why Kule obtained this award at the age of about 40.

I was highly impressed by Kule’s description of the prevention of mother to child transmission and the clarity with which he communicates the science to the ordinary people. As I said earlier, the two of us had never met.

He first called me seeking advice on how he could enter the Medical School, saying the fees were not a problem. And here lies the second omission in Dr. Scott’s notes.

The second omission was that Dr. Scott and his wife, a paediatrician, had assured Kule that they would fully cover his fees and this they did fully. And it was from the couple that I learnt that Kule had finished his course in 2005. I was at the house of these friends on my way back from a public function near Nyahuka town in Bundibugyo to which I had been invited by Jane Alisemera, the Woman MP for Bundibugyo district.

Dr. Scott is a public health professional holding a Master’s degree in Public Health of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene, Baltimore US. It is at this school that Scott and I met. In the US, public health professionals are on high demand and are well-paid. It is, therefore, an act of high degree of commitment that Dr. Scott, his wife and their children have remained in Bundibugyo, participating significantly in the development of that area.

Besides health care delivery, the Scotts have a school which runs from primary to A’ Level. The school is producing excellent results both in Primary Leaving Examinations and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education.

I thank the Scotts for their commitment to our country and their comradeship to Dr. Kule up to his last hour.

To the health workers who have been taken by the Ebola virus, you have once again demonstrated your ethical commitment to the people. The same way that Dr. Lukwiya and other health workers perished in the course of duty to human kind.

You are heroes. Health workers are frontline soldiers. And when duty calls, we should never be wanting. The oath we take is quite clear.

I recall my meeting in 2000 — when the Ebola virus hit Gulu — with health workers in Lacor Hospital in the company of Dr. Lukwiya and Dr. Corti.
The health workers had indicated that they were too freighted to handle the Ebola victims.

We agreed with them that by exposing ourselves to the victims of Ebola, we took very high risks. Nevertheless, we agreed there was no other way out. We had to take the risks, take precaution and get on with the job.

Subsequently Dr. Lukwiya and other health workers perished.
We salute them and we should continue to emulate their ethical conduct and courage. Just like Dr Lukwiya and those who perished with him, Dr.Kule and other health workers have stood head and shoulder above others. You are our heroes and as we bid you farewell, we salute you in honour.

Meanwhile, all should remain assured that these people died on duty and, therefore, appropriate responses will be taken by the Government in line with the law of the land and precedents.

I have seen some health workers participate in some awkward debates in the media. We have more appropriate forums to handle these issues.

Mistakes and omissions of today should serve to convey lessons for protecting the future. Bye, comrade Kule.

The writer is the Minister of Defence

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