Medical Interns give Ministry of Health 24 Hours to release their deployment programs and payments
The medical interns under their umbrella The Uganda Medical Association have given the Ministry of Health 24 hours to release their demanding deployment dates and deployment lists, yesterday 6th June 2023 at Galloway House, Mulago.
Over 2000 pre-medical interns have issued the Ministry of Health a one-day ultimatum to urgently release an official communication about the status of pending deployment in Uganda hospitals. The current cohort was expected to be deployed in hospitals by April 3, 2023, according to the premedical interns. However, the ministry had financial constraints hence the delay.
Alex Luswata, one of the pre-medical interns, announced this during a press conference held at Galloway House, Mulago, on 6th June 2023.
“First in our demand is that the Ministry of Health communicates a day of commencement of our medical internship and immediately release deployment lists; second is that the Ministry of Finance submits a written commitment that it will avail funds for our internship to the ministry of health,” said Luswata.
According to Luswata, they had written letters to the ministry of health, but no one responded, and no one has come up to say when they will start their internship.
“How long must the sick wait to be attended to? Must the parents of the nation continue selling off their land and property to send their children to medical schools? All this must stop; we took an oath and are always willing to work on our patients, and we have reasons to continue doing so, “he said.
Luswata also demanded that the ministry of finance submit a written commitment to available funds for the internships to the ministry of health, as the presidents had ordered.
“Countrymen, on May 15, 2023, the president together with the cabinet directed the minister of finance to avail funds for our deployment; however, since then nothing has been done as regards to this matter. We are disappointed and left to ask the following questions: what are we supposed to do when the minister of finance has not said anything?” he said.
Luswata also said that from today, the ministry of health has only 24 hours to respond to their needs, or they, as leaders of medical interns, will go back and consult all interns countrywide and decide on what to do next.
