Africa-Press – Uganda. The Allied Health Professionals’ Council (AHPC) has closed health centres and apprehended a yet-to-be identified number of non-qualified medical workers in an operation that commenced on Monday.
This operation, currently underway in Kira Municipality, Wakiso Town Council, Wakiso Sub-county, and Entebbe Municipality, is expected to extend to the rest of the country next month.
Dr Micheal Mubiru Kayizzi, the Quality Assurance Manager at AHPC, said they received complaints that some of the medical centres and health workers were not delivering to the required standards.
“We are doing a crackdown on the illegal health practitioners. We are looking for people who don’t have licences, nonqualified staff and any unethical practices,” Dr Kayizzi said.
In an operation conducted on Tuesday in Kira, the council apprehended two medical workers and closed more than six health centres, including Life Care Clinic in Kireka, Kamuntu Clinical Laboratories, Baron Medical Laboratory, New Hope Domiciliary Clinic in Kireka, Quick Service Medical Centre, and Care Clinic in Bweyogere.
“Most of these health centres have no operating licences, they are giving out wrong results, and have not enough tools for the health workers among others,” Dr Kayizzi said.
He urged health centre heads to hire licensed practitioners registered with the council and adhere to qualification standards.
“We have found a person attending to three accident patients without gloves. That was very dangerous for the patient and also the community. Others had wrong diagnosis, wrong treatment, wrong laboratory results , which called for attention by the council and we came up to rectify what is wrong,” Dr Kayizzi said.
He added that for one to acquire a licence, individuals must be qualified with documents from recognised institutions of learning and registered with the council.
“If you are a registered nurse, you must have an experience of 10 years, mid- wives must have five years of experience, an allied professional (four years), and medical officer (three years). And if you have those requirements, you apply to the council and they give you a licence so that you can be able to work,” he said.
Dr Kayizzi encouraged the public to report illegal services in private medical facilities to the District Health Officer or other responsible authorities.
Practising medicine without a licence or lacking qualifications may result in penalties ranging from Shs300,000 to Shs3 million or imprisonment for a period not less than three months and not exceeding three years, or both.
Mr Alex Kakeeto, the Wakiso District Laboratory Focal Person, stressed the importance of enforcing council laws to regulate laboratories.
“It is illegal to practise medical services without a licence. We have found health centres with licences that expired quite a number of years ago,” Mr Kakeeto.
Mr Kakeeto said the medical fraternity has specialisation, and encouraged the medics to always practice what they studied.
“If at all you specialised in laboratory services, do the laboratory work but if you cross the lines, you are susceptible to making many mistakes,” he said.
The penalties
Practising medicine without a licence or lacking qualifications may result in penalties ranging from Shs300,000 to Shs3 million or imprisonment for a period not less than three months and not exceeding three years, or both.
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