KAMPALA, UGANDA: Kampala Businessman Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia has scoffed at falsified reports linking him with the ownership of UMC Victoria Hospital saying the facility has never been a business entity under the Ruparelia Group which he owns.
The development comes after reports earlier this week suggested that labour recruitment agencies were refusing to heed to Minister Kahinda Otafiire’s directive to take their clients to UMC hospital for internal body organ testing to minimise rising cases of illegal internal tissue extraction.
In a tandem, several media reports quickly went on to suggest that the labour firms were running away from UMC Hospital because it falls under the Ruparelia Group, which Billionaire Sudhir owns.
According to the reports which the businessman has labeled as false and being spread by propagandists, the firms allegedly “refused to deal with the hospital as it is an affiliate of Victoria University,” something Sudhir strongly dismissed and warned the media to stop dragging his name into their drama.
“Ruparelia group has never been involved with Victoria Hospital nor what is now known as UMC hospital. Stop this propaganda,” a furious Sudhir warned when approached for a comment on the report.
Background:
The labour export companies under their association of Uganda Association of the External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), through their chairperson Baker Akantambira, petitioned the Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi complaining about the new development insisting the hospital’s actions were illegal.
In response to Akantambira’s petition, Amongi told Otafiire to get back in his line of duty and stop meandering in her lane. She noted that her ministry is the one responsible for negotiations and regulating migrant workers in the country.
Amongi told Otafiire that her ministry had already signed several agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council which is responsible for supervising all workers seeking employment abroad especially in Arab countries.
She further revealed that during the signing of the agreement with Gulf Cooperation Council, a list of selected hospitals were assigned to test internal organs of workers.
Amongi told Otafiire that he cannot just come up and all of a sudden recommend only UMC Victoria hospital.
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