Justus Cherop, the president of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) has asked nurses never to touch any Ebola patient unless government gives them proper personal protective gear.
“Don’t touch any Ebola patient when you don’t have PPEs, we cannot afford to lose lives of health workers to Ebola-like it was for covid-19,” he said
Cherop, who was speaking to reporters about the State of Ebola in the country, reminded government about how it frustrated the nurses during covid-19and others died of the disease.
He called upon government to pay a group of frustrated special Covid-19 nurses and then redeploy them to fight Ebola.
Government through Dr. Diana Atwine the permanent secretary of the ministry of health terminated the contracts of these nurses even before paying their allowances after covid-19 cases went down.
After the outbreak of Ebola in Mubende district, which has since claimed five (05) people and infected more than 24 people, Cherop said that government should pay these people and benefit from their expertise.
“Covid-19 killed nurses and doctors none of their families have been compensated because even those who survived were fired before getting their allowances,” he said
“Government should pay these health workers and be fully paid before going back to Ebola. This should be a lesson to us all,” he added
Cherop said that government should also immediately look at the welfare of those nurses at the Sites of Ebola, and pay them responsible allowances, no nurse should die.
Speaking to reporters, Annet Birunji the UNMU National Treasurer said that such families should be handsomely paid well.
“These should be paid Shs50m and government should get prepared and avail the Personal Protective Equipment to protect our nurses in order for them not to get Ebola,” she said
Health officials should be given special treatment to nurses, and doctors not be treated in regional hospitals like others.
Cherop said that sick health workers should be given a special team of doctors and nurses for their colleagues.
“Not a mere fact of establishing the facility,” he said
