| Uganda: Nakaseke Hospital - What is Behind the Health Workers' Strike?
HELL fury has erupted in Nakaseke Hospital. Not the whole hospital, but the gate. About 20 former members of staff demand to be let in. They want to strike. Of the 174 hospital staff, 28 have been transferred to health centres. These include clinical officers, nurses, nursing assistants, pharmacists, administrators and potters. Nakaseke chief administrative officer (CAO), Andrew Kyamanywa, insists the transfers were aimed at improving health centres. "Victimisation, sexual harassment," some transferred staff cry. But what is really happening? The cops are here. Their brief? .
Families commit to be fit
Eight-year-old Robbie Waldrop planted his feet and rotated his torso to punch a red bag as many times as he could in 60 seconds."How many so far?" Robbie panted as he repeatedly struck the bag that was held by Ke Roth, his instructor at ATA Karate for Kids in downtown Batavia."Can’t tell you," Roth said as she knelt behind the bag.Robbie stayed focused as he delivered a steady thump-thump-thump in a helicopter motion. Sweat darkened the ends of his short brown hair.After the minute passed, Roth smiled and asked Robbie to guess how many times he had struck the bag."A hundred and ten?""More," Roth said."A hundred and twenty?""More," Roth said as she smiled and widened her eyes.Robbie had punched the bag 232 times, shattering last week’s figure of 78 punches. His mom, Suzanne, watched from a seat in an adjoining room."He comes in here with a grin and he leaves with a grin," Suzanne Waldrop said.
Tough incapacity test to cut 20,000 claims
Ministers attempted to get their welfare reform programme back on track yesterday after it emerged that billions of pounds are being paid out in incapacity benefit to people suffering stress, fatigue and even acne. Peter Hain, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said that a new, tougher test on who will qualify for the benefit would cut the number claiming the benefit by 20,000 a year. The Department for Work and Pensions also rushed out a technical assessment on how the test will operate when it comes into force next year. The report was published after The Times revealed that thousands of people with vague conditions such as dizziness claim incapacity benefit, and at least 2,000 receive it because they are judged to be too fat to work. The data show that many people who go on to benefit never work again.
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