By Mulengera Reporters
On Sunday, Dr. Herbert Luswata, who is the President of Uganda Medical Association (UMA) which unites all medical doctors in Uganda, was joined by fellow executive members to address a news conference in Kampala.
Saying accepting to be cowed into silence when their professional colleague Dr. Kizza Besigye is on the verge of dying in Luzira prison, while his right to access health care continues to be violated, would amount to betraying the professional oath each one of them takes at the inception of their career, Luswata revealed that they have written to Commissioner General of Prisons Dr. Johnson Byabashaija (PhD) requesting him to share the latest medical report clarifying on what the veteran opposition leader is suffering from.
He said there is widespread concern about Besigye’s state of health about which even UMA members have been contacting the Secretariat in Kampala to inquire. That doctors from across the country say they continue to be bombarded with questions by their own patients and community members in the districts and cities upcountry- seeking to understand what exactly is happening.
Luswata also implored Byabashaija to make arrangements for Besigye, who is entitled to receiving treatment from a health worker and hospital of his choice, to be quickly transfered to Mulago National Referral Hospital for more appropriate medical examination or assessment and eventually medication.
Luswata explained that obtaining a copy of KB’s medical examination would enable hundreds of doctors from across Uganda to have something to say to millions of Ugandans who are increasingly becoming anxious about Dr. Kizza Besigye’s state of health.
The UMA executive members also used the Sunday news conference to remind the GoU of its obligations to treat Besigye, in his current state of health, better as per the provisions enshrined under UN Minimum Rules which are re-enforced under Articles 8A(1) and 45 of the country’s Constitution.
Luswata asserted that in whatever steps that have to be taken to mitigate KB’s misery, the Ugandan state ought to act urgently because time is of essence to avoid Dr. KB’s situation from escalating into what he called state of ‘irreversible damage.’
During the same news conference, the UMA leaders also spoke about the need to have supplementary funding to provide for the salaries of medics who for years had been remunerated on funding availed under the USAID program, which the Trump Administration has since halted. The most impacted are the medics deployed on programs concerned with TB and HIV patients.
The Ministry of Public Service was also appreciated for the recently-concluded re-evaluation of the job structure which resulted into the position of Specialist being elevated and replaced with that of Assistant Consultant. The GoU was accordingly implored to provide more funding under the FY2025/26 budget so that the beneficiaries of the new job structure begin to earn as Assistant Consultants (and not Specialists anymore) effective 1st July of this very year. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
