Shimon Carson

Dear Honourables @BalaamBarugahar @JustineNameere RE: CONDUCT OF MINISTERIAL INSPECTIONS AT PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES The Uganda Medical Association (U.M.A.) acknowledges your Ministry’s commitment to rooting out corruption, absenteeism, and service delivery failures in local government. We share your goal of accountability. 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, we are deeply concerned about the 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 employed during recent inspections of health facilities; specifically, the presence of television cameras in clinical areas, the public interrogation of health workers, and arrests ordered before allegations have been properly investigated. 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀. Filming patients in wards, maternity units, and consultation rooms without informed consent violates the Patients' Rights and Responsibilities Charter, the Data Protection and Privacy Act, and Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy. 𝗔 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗺. Finding a health worker away from their station proves nothing without first verifying the duty roster, leave records, night-duty history, and on-call arrangements. Compensatory rest after night duty, annual leave, and sick leave are lawful entitlements under the Employment Act and Article 40 of the Constitution. Accusations of absenteeism must follow verification, not precede it. 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀. Uganda’s public facilities are staffed at roughly a third of established need—34% against Ministry of Health norms, with diagnostic services at 47.7% and medicine availability at 58.9%. Where a worker refers a patient due to a stock-out or missing test, that is a systemic failure, not corruption. The two must be distinguished. 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. Articles 28 and 42 of the Constitution guarantee the presumption of innocence and a fair hearing. Arrests and public humiliation cannot substitute for proper investigation through established @PoliceUg, public-service, and professional-regulatory channels. U.M.A therefore recommends that; - 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀!!! - @GovUganda fixes the system and funds recruitment and supplies. - Humiliation Health Workers stops immediately. - @MoLGUganda either leaves health facility inspections to @MinofHealthUG and it's organs or requests their active involvement. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. Service with Honour,