President Museveni has renewed his pledge to exempt doctors’ salaries from taxation, saying the government is also prepared to increase pay for other health workers.
Museveni made the remarks on Friday while closing the 10th Uganda Medical Association (UMA) Grand Doctors’ Conference at Soroti University.
“We have increased salaries of doctors and now we are saying no taxes on their salaries. We can even increase salaries of government health workers,” Museveni said.
He also pledged government support for the proposed Shs 125 billion capitalisation of the UMA Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (Sacco), as well as the establishment of duty-free shops where medical workers could access essential goods, including building materials.
Museveni urged health workers to prioritise disease prevention through public education, immunisation, access to safe water and improved sanitation. He said prevention was cheaper than waiting for people to fall sick and spending money on treatment.
Earlier, UMA president Dr Frank Asiimwe asked the government to address staffing shortages in the health sector, proposing that staffing levels increase from the current 23 per cent to at least 50 per cent by the next election cycle.
“We are proposing that by the next election cycle we must be able to say that in the last five years staffing norms have improved from 23 per cent to 50 per cent,” Asiimwe said.
He also asked the government to increase allowances for medical interns and residents to Shs 2.5 million and ensure that funding for internship positions is planned for from the first year of medical training.
Asiimwe said some interns were completing their training without receiving their allowances.
He added that the proposed Sacco capitalisation would support the establishment of regional medical hubs, postgraduate training, insurance and doctors’ investments. He said land had been offered in Soroti, Lira and Gulu for the proposed hubs.
Prof Francis Omaswa called for stronger regulation of medical training institutions, warning that some private institutions were expanding without adequate infrastructure and qualified lecturers.
“We must get on top of all these training institutions and make sure that they are following the guidelines from the Medical Practitioners Council and the National Council of Higher Education, and if they do not, their schools should be closed,” Omaswa said.
He also called for increased investment in primary healthcare, arguing that health and education should not be treated merely as consumptive sectors because they contribute to people’s wellbeing and productivity.
Vice President Jessica Alupo said Uganda needed to strengthen its domestic healthcare system so that patients could access specialised treatment locally instead of travelling abroad. She said the government had engaged partners, including India, to support health facilities and build capacity.
Soroti City West MP David Calvin Echodu asked the government to resolve administrative issues surrounding land donated by Soroti University for the proposed Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
He said the Ministry of Education should issue a no-objection to facilitate the transfer of the land title to the Ministry of Health, adding that the project also needed funding. He urged the Ministry of Works to include the Soroti bypass in the national budget.
The conference also recognised medical professionals for their contribution to the health sector, with Prof Francis Omaswa and Prof Frank R. Asiimwe among those honoured.