The about 60 staff marched to the Residence of Bishop Robert Mubiirwa of Fort Portal Catholic Diocese who is also the Chairperson Board of Trustees.
Msgr Mayombo talking to the staff at Muhiirwa's residence in Fort Portal.
Virika Hospital staff in Fort Portal Tourism City on Tuesday
morning laid down their tools, protesting poor working conditions at the facility.
The about 60 staff marched to the residence of Bishop Robert Muhiirwa of Fort
Portal Catholic Diocese who is also the Chairperson Board of Trustees.
Among the issues is the low salary that they say is also paid late, non-payment
of National Social Security Fund - NSSF, drug stock-outs and employment of
staff without advertisement which they say is irregular and leads to the employment
of unqualified staff.
The staff also say that 66 of their colleagues were, without explanation, laid
off after Covid-19 outbreak last year and they were never replaced.
Victoria Kaganzi, a midwife at the catholic-founded hospital, explains that
after the dismissal of their colleagues, the working hours increased from eight
to 12, though without an increase in their salaries.
Kaganzi also says that they got information that the hospital is about to
recruit a new Medical Director who will be earning 13 Million Shillings yet the
former one was earning about 4 Million Shillings and they are also getting
peanuts.
As a result, the staff say they are being accused of failure to attract
patients to the hospital yet they are working under poor conditions and not
well motivated.
Before the march to the Bishop, unknown people had written an 18-page letter
and dropped a number of its copies in the different hospital departments
detailing the same issues.
The authors of the letter gave the management an ultimatum of three days to
respond but the hospital management did not heed.
By 6 am on Tuesday, another anonymous letter had been written asking the staff
to lay down their tools and march to the bishop.
"Remain behind at your own risk. The effects will be
irreversible and your life will be in danger," reads part of the
document.
While at the Bishop's residence, the staff remained locked outside his gate
until the Vicar General Msgr Isaiah Mayombo turned up and led them inside.
The bishop told them to remain calm as he meets the different hospital heads
for a way forward. Mayombo also told the journalists that they will issue a statement
after the meeting.
Currently, the hospital is still locked and no patients are being admitted
while the staff are in their quarters.
Virika hospital was constructed by catholic missionaries over 100 years ago and
it is one of the two Church founded hospitals in Fort Portal City after
Kabarole Hospital which was founded by the Anglican church.
Guest
Bureau Chief, Tooro Sub-Region