Ugandan doctors end month-long strike because of rising omicron cases

Doctors say they decided to go back to work amid rising cases, government’s recent response to demands

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Doctors in Uganda ended a month-long strike on Wednesday.

The doctors, who went on strike Nov. 21 to demand better salaries and working conditions, said they called off the strike because they want to save Ugandans from rising cases of the coronavirus, especially the omicron variant that is on the rise.

“After we realized that the omicron virus infection is very high, whereby even a large number of MPs are currently infected, we decided to go back and work to save the lives of Ugandans,” the head of Uganda’s medical association, Hebert Luswata, told Anadolu Agency.

Doctors said they negotiated with the government and reached a partial agreement, including being promised better working conditions and buying tax-free vehicles.

The government also fulfilled 2.5 million shillings ($714) per month payments for intern doctors and the money for this month is already in their accounts. They were earning 700,000 shillings monthly ($200).

Uganda has recorded 130,178 cases of the virus, with 3,274 deaths and 98,102 recoveries.

Omicron cases rose from seven last week to more than 200, including 50 members of parliament.

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