Africa-Press – Uganda. Medical workers have eulogised former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah as a systems builder who fought to improve health service delivery in the country.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Kampala, Dr Samuel Oledo, the president of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA), said Oulanyah was central in increasing the payment of interns who are crucial cadres in patient management in hospitals.
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Dr Oledo said to honour his contribution, they are sending a team of 30 doctors to provide emergency services at the home of the deceased as family and friends mourn him.
“…It was through the docket of Jacob Oulanyah that the Shs38b supplementary budget for health was given to implement the presidential directive of paying all intern doctors, nurses and pharmacists half of the salary of their seniors,” he said.
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From Shs750,000, the allowances of intern medical doctors were last year enhanced to Shs2.5m, pharmacists and graduate nurses (Shs2.4m), following a directive by President Museveni and eventually a supplementary budget which was passed by Parliament under Oulanyah’s leadership to effect the payment.
Oulanyah, 56, who was the Speaker of the 11th Parliament, died in the United States where he was airlifted in February for specialised medical care.
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The government has linked the death of the former Speaker to cancer, contradicting earlier claims by his father Nathan Okori that his son was poisoned.
Oulanyah’s body is expected to arrive at Entebbe Airport on Friday, taken to Parliament on Tuesday and later a state funeral at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. He will be laid to rest at Lalogi, Omoro District on April 8.
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The UMA president also congratulated, Ms Anita Among, the newly elected Speaker and her deputy Mr Thomas Tayebwa, who he said were instrumental in ensuring implementation of presidential directives.
“Losing such individual breaks the hearts of those in health, especially us who have worked directly with them. We condole with the family, friends and the entire nation and say that as doctors, we pledge that when a day comes when he will be buried, we have a team of over 30 doctors who are on the ground at home trying to stabilise and give services,” he said.
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