Parliament — PARLIAMENT has demanded that the Ministry of Health bans all public gatherings in the country as a preventive measure against the deadly Ebola.

During a parliamentary debate yesterday, MPs called on Cabinet to suspend public gatherings like weddings, rallies and church masses.

The debate followed a statement by the Shadow Minister for Health, Mr Francis Epetait, who requested the government to compensate families of health workers who have died of the disease while treating patients. The MPs said handshakes and public gatherings expose the risk of spreading the disease that has so far killed four medical workers.

State Minister for Defence Ruth Nankabirwa said: "We should immediately ban these gatherings like Kwanjula and weddings because we don't know who is carrying the disease now."

Ibanda MP Otada Amooti said the Ministry of Health should treat the outbreak as a matter of urgency and "ban people who travel from the affected areas"

In response, Prime Minister Prof. Apollo Nsibambi said Cabinet would sit on Friday to decide on compensating families of the health workers who have died.