President Museveni raises doctors pay
Oct 23, 2007
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has promised to improve the remuneration of doctors and scientists generally to stop their exodus abroad.
By Conan Businge
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has promised to improve the remuneration of doctors and scientists generally to stop their exodus abroad.
“The Government has noted with concern the problem of doctors fleeing to other countries after their training. Since tax collection has improved, the problem of low salaries will be sorted out easily,†he said.
“Let us concentrate on developing scientists and pay salaries comparable to other doctors on the international level.â€
Museveni made the remarks while commissioning open-heart surgery at the Uganda Heart Institute, Mulago.
The President later visited the Intensive Care Unit and the parents of the children who had just undergone heart surgeries.
He was delighted to meet the first open-heart surgery patient, eight-year-old Edward Kasaija, who had been operated on a week earlier.
Museveni thanked the US-based Carolina University for the equipment and the specialists.
Museveni’s comments were prompted by Dr. John Omagino who said the hospital was failing to develop the human resource although it had adequate equipment. Omagino is the deputy director of the heart institute.
He said $2.7m (about sh4.7b) had been earmarked to further equip the institute.
Despite this, he said, the institute was short of surgeons. For instance, 175 Ugandan doctors left for greener pastures in the US in 2002, while another 722 stayed in Uganda, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.
Mulago last week performed its first open-heart surgery, with the assistance of the North Carolina University specialists.
Omagino said the institute had operated on 10 children. Kampala International Hospital has also recently performed the open-heart surgery.
Mulago chief Edward Ddumba thanked the US for the training and equipment, which he said made open-heart surgery successful in Uganda.
The head of the specialists, Dr. Keith Kocis, said they were training Ugandan doctors to handle heart operations.
Present were the Minister of Health, Stephen Mallinga and the senior presidential adviser on Medical Affairs, Prof. Stanley Tumwine.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has promised to improve the remuneration of doctors and scientists generally to stop their exodus abroad.
“The Government has noted with concern the problem of doctors fleeing to other countries after their training. Since tax collection has improved, the problem of low salaries will be sorted out easily,†he said.
“Let us concentrate on developing scientists and pay salaries comparable to other doctors on the international level.â€
Museveni made the remarks while commissioning open-heart surgery at the Uganda Heart Institute, Mulago.
The President later visited the Intensive Care Unit and the parents of the children who had just undergone heart surgeries.
He was delighted to meet the first open-heart surgery patient, eight-year-old Edward Kasaija, who had been operated on a week earlier.
Museveni thanked the US-based Carolina University for the equipment and the specialists.
Museveni’s comments were prompted by Dr. John Omagino who said the hospital was failing to develop the human resource although it had adequate equipment. Omagino is the deputy director of the heart institute.
He said $2.7m (about sh4.7b) had been earmarked to further equip the institute.
Despite this, he said, the institute was short of surgeons. For instance, 175 Ugandan doctors left for greener pastures in the US in 2002, while another 722 stayed in Uganda, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.
Mulago last week performed its first open-heart surgery, with the assistance of the North Carolina University specialists.
Omagino said the institute had operated on 10 children. Kampala International Hospital has also recently performed the open-heart surgery.
Mulago chief Edward Ddumba thanked the US for the training and equipment, which he said made open-heart surgery successful in Uganda.
The head of the specialists, Dr. Keith Kocis, said they were training Ugandan doctors to handle heart operations.
Present were the Minister of Health, Stephen Mallinga and the senior presidential adviser on Medical Affairs, Prof. Stanley Tumwine.