Public Health Facilities request for more time to deliver views on mandatory vaccination

By Francis Lubega

10^th March 2022

As Parliament processes the Public Health (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Private health care facilities under their umbrella body Uganda Healthcare Federation have asked for time to make a decision on the proposal that seeks to make vaccination mandatory.

The plea has been made by the Executive Director of the organization Grace Kiwanuka while leading a team from the entity to appear before parliament’s health committee to give their views on the Public Health Amendment bill.

The bill is proposing to make vaccination and revaccination mandatory and any person who refuses to comply will pay a fine of 4 million shillings or face a six months imprisonment or both.

Kiwanuka says though vaccination has proved to be effective on adults but more studies are still needed especially on the side of the children who can’t make consent on their own.

Early this month, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) asked the proposal for mandatory Covid-19 vaccination be dropped and allow the public to consent to it.