By Stephen Otage
The State House Health Monitoring Unit has ordered the interdicted Mulago Hospital executive director not to appear anywhere near the hospital premises as investigations into alleged corruption at the national referral hospital continue.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Dr Warren Namara the head of the unit, said much as he is not the one who interdicted Dr Byarugaba Baterana last week, just like other people when they are interdicted, Dr Byarugaba Baterana, should not appear anywhere near Mulago hospital premises until investigations are over.
“It is not me who interdicted him, it is the permanent secretary. But you know that when you are interdicted, you shouldn’t be in the premises, he cannot be there,” he said while responding to calls by the Hospital board chairman urging Dr. Baterana to avail himself for consultations while on interdiction.
While handing over the office, the former hospital executive director, attributed the poor services at the hospital, to insufficient budget allocations which can hardly meet all the requirements needed to run the hospital.
Without mentioning the amount they receive, Dr Byarugaba Baterana who handed over office to his deputy Dr Rosemary Byanyima today said half of the money they receive goes to pay salaries and another half goes into pensions and gratuity leaving them with very little for the none wage to run the hospital.
He explained that much as the government has equipped the hospital, they do not have the human resources with the right skills mix to run it and whereas all medical professionals are required at the hospital 24 hours, the low salaries have pushed them to moonlight in private hospitals and when they are required, they are absent, translating into lack of services.
He advised that since the government has increased the salaries of health workers, in order to improve services at Mulago hospital, all the employees must be registered like in India, where all categories of health workers are available in the hospital all the time because the government forced them to.
