Deputy Speaker Tayebwa directs Health Ministry to address plight of medical interns

The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa has directed the Ministry of Health to address the issue of intern doctors and present   a statement to Parliament, on interventions undertaken.

The Deputy Speaker who chaired the House on Thursday, 01 August 2024 said the interns cannot be deployed in hospitals until they have completed their training.

“You are telling these interns that you are giving them another year at home without anything yet they have done their part by finishing their studies. They cannot practice until they do internship but they are not being taken on. Remember they lost a lot of time during COVID,” said Tayebwa.

Tayebwa said that he received complaints from the interns through social media seeking for a solution to their concerns. “This is a thorn for us and it has been happening year after year. We have very many professional bodies, how come it is only medical interns who usually have such issues?” Tayebwa noted.

He observed that concerns of funding and facilities to support the medical interns ought to be urgently addressed, to ensure they are effectively deployed.

In his statement in response to the President’s State of the Nation Address, the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi also urged government to prioritise the deployment of medical interns.

“Interns were protesting the other day saying they have studied for five years but have failed to get deployment so that they can work. Is the government listening?” Ssenyonyi said.

He also called on government to increase funding for medical education through scholarships and incentives for students to study medicine and nursing, in a bid to address the shortage of healthcare workers.

“Policies should focus on training, recruiting and retaining health care professionals. Accordingly, government should provide competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain skilled healthcare workers in rural areas,” Ssenyonyi added.

Earlier this week, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Commissioner for Health Services at the Ministry of Health announced that the Uganda Medical Internship Committee had concluded internship placements for the next one year.

According to Mwebesa, the medical internship placements scheduled to take place from 05 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 will cover graduates who completed their courses in 2023 and before.