MPs have passed and approved the the Public Health Amendment Bill 2022 with a provision that bars unvaccinated students from being administered in schools while individuals found guilty of the same to be fined Shs4m or serve a jail term of six months.
This followed a new clause introduced into the Bill by Parliament’s Health Committee to amend Section 45 of the Principal Act, that requires that before any child is admitted to a school, the child’s vaccination certificate should be provided to the school head by the parent or guardian.
Charles Ayume, Chairperson Health Committee defended the decision arguing that education institutions, especially for children, are epic centers for the spread of infectious diseases given the close levels of interaction among the little ones.
“The Committee recommends that production of an immunisation card shall be a prerequisite for admission of a child to a day care centre, preprimary or primary school and the school head should retain a copy of the card. Failure to comply with the above provision is a criminal offence punishable through a fine or imprisonment,” said Ayume.
The Committee went ahead to prescribe a fine of 200 currency points and with each currency point being equivalent to Shs20,000 this brings the fine to Shs4M and jail term of six months.
