The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has come out to protest government decision to start charging money from individuals that seek testing for Covid19.
Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, the Party’s Deputy Secretary for Mobilization told press today that the decision showed lack of empathy on the government side.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced that starting from September 1 2020, Ugandans who wish to test for the virus will be charged $65, which is about Shs 240,500.
The ministry said this charge was meant to take pressure of the dwindling resources for the ongoing testing.
However, according to Hon Fungaroo, the charge is exorbitant.
“People who test are not the beneficiaries of this testing, it is the public,” Fungaroo said.
“If Museveni can be able to find the money to buy NRM Chairperson bicycles, why can’t he use part of that money for public safety expenditures like this one of testing?”
“We have always told you the people of Uganda that the pursuit of power for the sake of it, in Museveni’s regime is number one; other things are secondary,” Fungaroo concluded.
The Health Ministry however, clarified yesterday that it will continue to provide free Covid19 testing to people with signs and symptoms, their contacts, front-line workers as well as those being tested under the ministry surveys
Meanwhile, at the same conference Fungaroo accused government of continuing to block opposition leaders from holding political rallies ahead of next year’s elections.
“Our colleague Hon Luttamaguzi the MP for Nakaseke South is in jail for allegedly violating Covid-19 measures. And yet we have ministers in the NRM Government involved in Public rallies, processions, meetings without any hindrances,” Fungaroo intimated.
President Yoweri Museveni last week said he had directed security forces to enforce the ban on such rallies.
Following his statement, Kisoro’s Hon Sam Bitangaro was arrested and detained for holding a mass rally in his constituency.
