By Our Reporters
Mulago National Referral Hospital ED Dr. Byarugaba Baterana (aka BB) has washed his hands clean putting all the blame on the just-declared Medical Interns industrial action (IA) on PS Dr. Diana Atwine and other technocrats at the Ministry of Health. “You just want to crucify me for nothing because much as I sympathize with your cause, I’m powerless. I can’t do anything for you because I don’t control any of your money. You should go to the Ministry of Health where our bosses sit. They are the ones who can solve your problems,” BB was quoted as telling Medical Interns’ leaders who confronted him a few days ago protesting the delay to pay their monthly remuneration of Shs700,000 for the month of January. Some 61 interns scattered in the different 35 training sites for the interns have gone unpaid for four months now counting from October. Totalling 970 (of whom 215 are attached to Mulago), the interns (who are basically medical students who have completed 5 years at Makerere Medical School but haven’t yet been licensed to begin work) have declared a strike meaning they will indefinitely stay away from the 35 training sites/hospitals until their basic demands are met.
According to Aron Nahabwe, the publicist for the striking medics, their grievances include failure by government to provide emergency medical supplies like gloves and saline water which they use in the hospitals to handle emergency cases. He says they have widely consulted all the 970 interns and they have fully endorsed the strike through their site coordinators. “Its not only unethical but risky for us as doctors. How do you begin attending to a patient without gloves? Its unethical, it pains and makes us look insensitive to send a patient to Wandegeya to go buy gloves and drip saline water/intravenous fluids to attend to his or her emergency. How can that be happening at Mulago which is the NRH? What do you think is happening in other hospitals? We have cried to the Director (BB) and he is clearly powerless. He can’t do anything and says please its a matter of NMS and our mother ministry,” Nahabwe told Mulengera news in an interview.
He added that these emergency supplies are essential for both the patient and themselves the doctors. He says that, prompted by BB’s advice regarding his financial powerlessness, they 7 days ago wrote to the Minister of Health and copied in the PS Dr. Diana Atwine sharing their dilemma. “But those guys are so arrogant. Can you imagine for the last 7 days none of them has acted on our letter? We are key stakeholders responsible for 70% of all the hospital work: at least get back to us with a phone call or acknowledge receipt of our letter and tell us the steps being taken. Now is the time to break their arrogance,” said Nahabwe adding that many of the senior consultants under whose supervision they operate are sympathetic to their cause. “They are the guys bailing us out every day with Shs10,000 for transport but its not sustainable. They want us to be available and work with them to save life of our fellow Ugandans but how long can such volunteers go? All we are saying this Shs700,000 is too little and not enough but at least pay it to us on time. Its what we use for rent, transport, meals and other aspects of personal administration but to be sincere with you its not enough,” says Nahabwe.
He adds that whereas some faith-based organizations-owned medical facilities take in some students (because govt ones are inadequate), its not their duty but government’s. “They just help the state on this but they provide a better support environment than the government facilities. They give them accommodation, feed them and top up the government’s Shs700,000 with another Shs150,000 which is very okay but for us we aren’t being unreasonable to demand increment. No that’s there but for now we are saying give us emergency supplies so that we safe while at work and pay us our Shs700,000 on time inadequate as it is,” said Nahabwe predicting that Ugandan patients are going to become more vulnerable because of the interns’ strike. “Of course they have to improvise to keep going in our absence but its going to be tough because the seniors have their other places and they can’t be available all the time yet emergencies keep happening anytime without prior warning.” He said they are doing work in all areas of medicine namely patient consultations, internal medicine, Surgery, Children health (Paediatrics) and pregnant mothers. He said personally he has, despite the adversity surrounding their work, he has personally safely delivered 17 mothers in the last months since enrolling at Mulago as a medical intern.
The Gulu University graduate added: “And others have done much more delivering as many as 50 mothers. So there is clearly no doubt that our services are very much required,” he said associating himself with many of the comments his President Lubega had made earlier during a news conference at Mulago Guest House. The two medical interns’ leaders said they are partly inspired by Uganda Medical Association (UMA) boss Dr.Ekwaro Obuku who last year led a successful strike that brought government to its knees and forced President Museveni to give concessions to the striking medics. Their demands related to welfare, better remuneration and better medical supplies just like the interns are demanding.
