Laboratory technicians demand a pay rise

HEALTH

KAMPALA - Laboratory technicians countrywide under their umbrella body, Uganda Medical Laboratory Technology Association (UMLTA) have given the government a 30-day ultimatum to honour its pledge for laboratory attendants' pay rise.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Okek Erick, UMLTA coordinator, said despite all the invaluable roles laboratories and its professions are playing to salvage the health care system and save millions of lives, they are the least rewarded and least appreciated.

"Whenever there is a suspected case of a deadly hemorrhagic fever like Ebola, yellow fever and other viral infections, the country is always on its knees waiting for confirmation of these diseases by laboratory professionals, all landmark medical discoveries from research are made from the laboratory, however we are the most underprivileged professionals in the Uganda health care system," said Okek.

He noted that it is sad that the highest qualification of laboratory professions government employs in the public sector is only up to the diploma despite the urgent need of well trained and experienced professionals who are better equipped to investigate and manage current epidemics of different diseases.

"It is so sad that when you go to most government health facility laboratories including National Referral Hospitals, the majority are young inexperienced staffs, volunteers or interns lacking mentors because that is the best government can afford, we partly attribute misdiagnosis to this lack of mentorship," noted Okek.

According to the National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE) data, there are over 50 PhD holders, over 500 masters' degree holders and about 3000 degree holders trained laboratory professionals, most of them were trained by government and others on private basis with a promise that they will be absorbed by the government but because there is no provision for them in the mainstream employment, majority have opted for jobs in other countries.

Richard Sserunjogi, UMLTA assistant coordinator, said the Operational Medical Laboratory Scheme of Service (SoS) which has existed for eight years has not fully followed its responsibilities as regards laboratory holders.

"Masters' holders are paid as diploma holders. We think the salary scale should match that of other health professions. This is unfair. They are all medical professionals, if the government does not respond immediately, they will never forgive themselves for the move we are about to take," said Sserunjogi.

He noted that they have tried to use diplomatic approaches as a professional association by writing letters to the health ministry but never get feedback.

The technicians want district laboratory focal persons to get a substantial appointment and full privileges that come along as assistant DHO in charge of diagnostics services just like there are assistant DHOs for child and maternal health and assistant DHO for environmental health inspector than doing delegation duties of the DHO without payment as it is currently.

They also want fellow professionals pursuing masters to get similar privileges as doctors doing masters get (free house and monthly allowance).

Laboratory workers are the least paid cadres by the government where the U8 earns sh350,000 and the highly paid earns about sh1m.

In her response, the health minister Dr. Jane Aceng said those laboratory technicians should know that there is no money as of now.