{UAH} Trinidad may cancel medics import deal with Uganda

Trinidad may cancel medics import deal with Uganda

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Medical staff at the Butabika National Referral Hospital in Uganda. The Caribbean island state is said to be shifting attention to India, Philippines and Jamaica. PHOTO | FILE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By JULIUS BARIGABA

Posted  Saturday, March 14  2015 at  11:32

IN SUMMARY

• The medics export scheme has been presented as a government-to-government deal, supported by a memorandum of understanding between Kampala and Port of Spain, but separately, sources told The EastAfrican that there is "a lot of finger-pointing" within government and that "it is not clear who is behind the scheme."

As government officials struggle to justify why Uganda lined up more than 250 public health workers for export to Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean island state is "treading carefully on the matter," with a view to dropping the scheme altogether.

A source in Trinidad and Tobago told The EastAfrican that the country's Health Ministry is now considering other countries, especially India, the Philippines and Jamaica, to source health workers, following the furore that erupted in Uganda and a resulting suit against the Attorney General over the export of medics.

Trinidad and Tobago's Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan revealed that the plan to fly a team of experts to Kampala to vet the shortlisted Ugandan health workers "has been put on hold."

READ: Graft claims hit Uganda medic export scheme

According to Dr Khan, Trinidad and Tobago has an urgent need for foreign aid in the form of health workers, and with the Ugandan imports not forthcoming, his country will look elsewhere because of the staffing gaps at existing hospitals, as well as the $150 million Couva Children's Hospital, which is coming on stream soon.

Trinidad and Tobago's Health Ministry had set aside $140 million for employment of Ugandan medics. The funds were to cater for salaries and housing benefits.

A March 3 statement from Uganda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry has the mandate "to source for employment for Ugandans abroad, to allow for employment, the transfer of skills, technology and foreign-exchange earnings."

The medics export scheme has been presented as a government-to-government deal, supported by a memorandum of understanding between Kampala and Port of Spain, but separately, sources told The EastAfrican that there is "a lot of finger-pointing" within government and that "it is not clear who is behind the scheme."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims to have been working with Ministry of Health, but the latter denies this. I have spoken to both political and technical heads of the Health Ministry, but there is no agreement, and no evidence that the Health Ministry supported this brain drain. It's a scandal," said Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the recently designated State Minister of Health for General Duties.

Call for applications

In March last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for applications across various categories of medical workers, including those already employed in public health institutions, for recruitment and export to Trinidad and Tobago.

In August, the ministry shortlisted 450 candidates from whom the final group was to be selected. The High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago in Kampala declined to comment on the controversial scheme.

A ruling on the application for a temporary injunction to block the export of the 263 health workers was expected on March 2, but did not come after the government skipped court. The application was filed in November last year by Institute of Public Policy and Research lawyer Justinian Kateera.

The court said the ruling will now be given on notice to the parties.

Uganda's Foreign Affairs permanent secretary James Mugume said although the scheme to export medical workers has caused uproar in the country, it is consistent with the ministry's mandate to seek employment for nationals abroad.

"There is nothing wrong with taking some of our many qualified health workers to Trinidad and Tobago," he said, adding that available data shows that by end of 2014 there were 59,000 registered health professionals in Uganda for all categories.

However, in total, there were 57,050 approved vacant posts in the government, of which 35,903 were filled. This left some 21,152 posts still vacant due to various reasons, including budgetary constraints, according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics data of 2014.

This data implies that the majority of health workers in Uganda — 63 per cent — are employed in the public sector, while 37 per cent are either employed in the private sector, unemployed or have left the country to seek employment abroad. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further argued that the absorption capacity of health personnel into Uganda's public service is limited and the Trinidad and Tobago scheme is an attempt to bridge this gap.

Dr Baryomunsi had tabled the matter to stop the export of medics before parliament, describing it as urgent before he was named a minister in recent Cabinet reshuffle. He now vows to take the fight to Cabinet.

"It's unfortunate that the government can involve itself in a brain drain, which we have been fighting for years. I am going to push it through cabinet, if no other minister does," said Dr Baryomunsi.

Documents from Uganda's Ministry of Health indicate that the country's health worker to population ratio of 1:1,298 is three times lower than the World Health Organisation average of 1:439.

In specific categories, according to research conducted by Makerere University in 2013, there is one doctor for every 15,000 patients against the WHO recommended average of one doctor for every 1,000 people. The research showed that there is one midwife for every 9,000 women and one nurse for every 700 patients.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

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