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President Museveni hails nurses for saving Ugandans
VP Jessica Alupo, Security Minister Jim K Muhwezi ,Nurses and Midwives Union president Justus Cherop and others cutting cake at the National Nurses and Midwives celebrations in Rukungiri District. Photo by Ronald Kabanza.
What you need to know:
Nursing and midwifery national celebrations took place at Rukungiri District's main stadium in the Southern Division
Nurses and midwives across Uganda have been hailed by President Museveni for saving lives.
The work you do in this country cannot be taken for granted. It would be impossible for this country to function without you, and that is why we have increased your salaries," said President Museveni in his speech, read on his behalf by H.E. Maj. Jessica Rose Epel Alupo.
Nursing and midwifery national celebrations took place at Rukungiri District's main stadium in the Southern Division.
The president also used the same platform to ask Rukungiri people to embrace government programs that aim at fighting poverty at household levels.
‘’The government has introduced the Parish Development Model (PDM) and its roots are in bringing all Ugandans into the money economy so I kindly ask you to embrace it and chase poverty in your families,’’ President Museveni said.
Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) president Justus Cherop condemned repeated arrests of nurses and midwives by local governments whenever a patient's life was on the line.
There are some times when nurses or midwives are arrested for no good reason because many patients die on their way after they have been referred to other health centers for better services, but at the end of the day, they are arrested. It's not good. This issue must be addressed,'' Mr Cherop said.
Mr Cherop advocated for the amendment of the Nurse Act saying that nurses and midwives are working under the act that was formulated in the 1990s yet we are living in a changing world.
“Since that time a lot of changes have happened so I kindly ask the government to consider amending the Nurses Act,” Mr Cherop added.
Mr Cherop also called for the centralization of the health sector saying that the situation in local governments does not favor health workers to work in.
The Minister for Security and Rujumbura county Member of Parliament Rtd Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi told the masses that the government has introduced a program that will see all health centers across the country upgraded to level 3 and level 3’s to level 4.
‘’With the salary increment of all doctors, nurses, and midwives across the country, our health workers who had gone outside for green pastures have started getting back and this will help the government to send doctors to work in these health centers thus providing improved health services to you our people,’’ Minister Muhwezi said.
The Rukungiri district chairperson Mr Geoffrey Kyomukama said the provision of health services in the Rukungiri District is irked by the lack of district hospitals, inadequate health staff, lack of staff houses, and limited transport means among others.
