The newly passed Veterinary Practitioners’ Bill 2023 has introduced substantial penalties to hold veterinary practitioners accountable for their actions. Individuals whose licenses have been revoked yet continue to practice, resulting in harm to animals or humans, now face a seven-year jail sentence, a fine of Shs10 million, or both.
During a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Among on Wednesday, Parliament approved the Bill. The Bill is designed to enhance veterinary practice standards.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Janet Okori-Moe, stressed the importance of deterrence in cases involving fatalities.
She explained that the prison term was raised from two years to seven years to serve as a stronger deterrent, stating, “Causing death or endangering humans or animals should carry a more punitive punishment.”
Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Animal Industry), Bright Rwamirama, echoed this sentiment, asserting that the seven-year sentence is appropriately stringent.
The Bill also enforces a penalty of Shs5 million against registered practitioners found guilty of professional misconduct. Additionally, all private veterinary practitioners must register with the Veterinary Council and obtain licenses. In contrast, public practitioners will be exempt from licensing requirements.
Despite a proposal to license public veterinary practitioners, Rwamirama clarified that government veterinary practitioners will remain exempt from licensing due to their status as government employees.
“They are employed by the government, and they are public officers. So even when you say they pay, it is still the government that is going to pay,” he noted.
The Bill seeks to provide an institutional framework for regulation of veterinary practice by providing for the training, registration, licensing of veterinary professionals and veterinary paraprofessionals.