The Police yesterday blocked pre-medical interns from marching to Parliament where they intended to petition over delayed commencement of medical internship 2023/2024.
However, they called off the demonstration since the speaker called for their negotiation in parliament where they asked the parliament to approve the supplementary budget to cater for their allowances inorder for them to start their internship.
According to the letter, their internship training has been delayed by the Ministry of Health because of lack of funds for the students to begin their internship.
“On 5th April, 2023 the Minister of Health Dr. Jane Aceng Ruth came out and said that there are no funds for medical interns Cohort 2023-2024 and their senior house officers”- the letter (Petition)
The students say that delaying their studies and sabotaging of internship not only halts their progress in the development of their careers but stands against the law.
“Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Act 1998 section (h); 17(i)(a), (b); (23), (2); 24(1), (2); Pharmacy and Drug Section 7 (a) and Uganda Nurses and Midwives act subsection 21(b) Prescribe 1year of mandatory medical internship before one registers to legally practice Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and midwifery in Uganda”
The medical internship of the cohort 2023-2024 was supposed to commence on the 3rd of April, 2023 but it did not happen.
However in the letter, the students have asked for a clear communication of their start of internship not later than this week 14th April, 2023 with proper payment of shillings 2,704,238 for intern doctors, Dental surgeons and pharmacists and shillings 2,204,238 for internship nurses and Midwives.
