The Daily Monitor of the 30th May 2016 run a story ‘240 specialist medics leave Uganda- official’ by Emmanuel Ainebyona. This story justifies brain drain arguments. Supposing that, these schemes are government propelled after all, the medical profession is sidelined. It is evident that morale of health workers is killed by the not upped pay thus the health workers trek outside Uganda. With this hide sight, as long as it is out of Uganda, pay is better. Sadly including South Sudan. I disagree.
The out going MP of Mbarara Municipality who doubled as chairperson of the Parliamentary Health committee was credited for being trumpeting health workers welfare. The Honorable blames the great exodus of health workers on Government. To the contrary, permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Asuman Lukwago said: ‘People like Bitekyerezo have never worked with government and don’t understand that public service is about offering service to the people and not the obsession with money. It might be true that some doctors have left but as government we utilise the available human resource.’
On a person note, as a health and patient rights advocate, Ugandans shall be dearly miss his significant contribution. Dr Medard Bitekyerezo (Bitex) steered the enactment of the Tobacco control Act 2015 and the increase of the national health budget specifically to meet utility bills by hospitals. This work must be upped by whoever replaces him come this 10th Parliament.
Most rural communities near public health facilities decry purchasing government drugs from private drugs shops. Community voices intimate having contacts onto to which to paying money to doctors that use government facilities to treat patients and wonder whether government is given a percentage of this pay.
Theft of government drugs
Let me imagine that theft of drugs do not represent the entire medical profession and I want to agree of the same with those going abroad. Most communities report that poor patients never meet medical specialists save when recommended by private clinics or front line middlemen. Health workers that outgrow moon lighting clinics or hospitals in Uganda, escape local troubles and then file out side Uganda.
Unlike Carpenters, Engineers, Teachers, Drivers or Lawyers; Doctors and priest’s education is dependent on the savings of the community through total government funding, scholarships or subsidies (tax exemptions on facilities) to facilitate their studies.
The Health worker’s profession is a national heritage, as such, there are no countries that can afford to lose a doctor be it to natural causes, epidemics, none payment or at the worst permanently exported abroad or neighbouring countries. I hasten to say, doctors can time and again export their services adhoc abroad: not permanently even with the most attractive pay, attachments or patriotic of brotherhood reasons.
Some Ugandans have a tendency of selling off the best in their possession even if they ought to have benefited the most to them, cash then is better than them staying malnourished. Whereas article 40 of the constitution allows Ugandans to indulge in gainful employment of their choice, unlike any other professionals going about their trade, exception should be taken on highly qualified medics in public service.
Health worker’s affairs are matters of National interest and common good on to which our country is governed per article 8A 1& 2 read with the national objectives and directive principles of state policy. Exporting medics fails government efforts of taking all practical steps and measures of ensuring the enjoyment of rights of access and benefiting from the basic medical services by the entire Ugandan population.
But rather have all that is making their practice domesticated here, the unsuspecting public ought be consulted for an exodus of medics, this matter isn’t exclusive of representative leadership’s conclusion, the people must decide about this, thank you, I advocate for the improvement of health workers working conditions in Uganda.