Government Fires Striking Medical Interns

Government of Uganda has fired all medical interns who are on strike demanding for payment of enhanced medical internship allowances.

In a letter by Dr Henry Mwebesa, the Director General Health Services in Ministry of Health dated December 10 to Hospital Directors and heads of Medical Internship Training Sites, medicical interns have been ordered to vacate in a period of a week.

A medical intern is a doctor who has completed medical school and is engaged in a year of additional training at a hospital before getting a license to practice medicine unsupervised.

They are currently earning Shs 750,000 but the enhancement will see them earn Shs2.5 million

Medical interns went on strike on November 6 this year demanding to get their enhanced internship allowances. Government responded by assuring to avail it as soon as the supplementary budget is approved by Parliament.

However, to effect this payment, the Health Ministry is waiting for the release of funds from the Ministry of Finance.

But on December 6, the medical interns in a letter by their leadership said they had resolve to continue with their strike until their demands are met.

Now, Dr Mwebesa says, considering the fact that the interns have been away from the training sites for 5 weeks, the top management of the ministry of health decided that they leave the sites to pave way for incoming interns.

“All medical interns vacate the hospital premises within one week of the date of this letter to pave way for the new medical interns that are due to start in the year 2022,” says Dr Mwebesa.

“As soon as funds for enhancement of Medical Interns’ allowances are released by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Health will pay their arrears up to the time the medical interns went on strike,” he adds.

It is should be noted that the medical interns are remaining with only two months to complete their internship and get fully registered with their respective councils as medical officers, pharmacists, nurses and midwives. On how the fired intern doctors will complete their second and last rotation, the Ministry says they (striking medical interns) will find their own way.

Plus News understands that Federation of Uganda Medical Interns has since The interns leadership has called for a meeting to discuss the decision by the Health Ministry and give their effectively respond.

This news website also has it on good authority that the leadership of the Uganda Medical Association will soon convene a meeting to discuss the same.

Doctors across the country have also on strike for nearly three weeks demanding among others provision of Personnel Protective Equipment and their salary enhancement as promised by the President.