Parliament has reconsidered the Public Health Bill 2021 which was returned by President Yoweri Museveni.  While presenting the report of the Committee of Health on reconsideration of the Bill, Doctor Charles Ayume, the Chairperson said that they agreed with the President’s concern on the use of the word vaccination and not immunization. Doctor Ayume explained that the word immunization and vaccination are used interchangeably and that the President preferred the use of vaccination as opposed to immunization.

The committee had passed a clause in which the destruction of infectious beddings, clothes, and articles would be done upon authorization by the Local Council, to which President Museveni objected. The committee agreed with the President’s recommendation to give the Medical Officer the power to destroy infectious materials.

President Museveni further recommended that the powers of the Director General of Health Services should be restricted to assigning a vaccinator and not appointing one as mentioned in the bill. He argued that the Director General of Health Services has no powers to appoint staff under the law.
During the plenary session chaired by Speaker Anita Among, the MPs also passed the Parliamentary Pensions Amendment Bill 2022 after the proposal to have members’ contributions to the fund, was dropped. The President had earlier declined to assent to the bill with an amendment to have government increase the Members of Parliament contribution from 30 to 40 percent.