Government Commits to Paying Allowances for Sponsored Medical Interns

Lawmakers have received assurances from the government that all government-sponsored medical interns will be paid their allowances. The Ministry of Health recently deployed over 2,000 medical interns to various health facilities nationwide.

This clarification was provided by the Government Chief Whip, Hon. Ruth Aceng, in response to concerns raised during a plenary session. She emphasized that the policy changes affecting intern payments primarily impact private medical interns, not those sponsored by the government.

The issue was brought to the floor by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, who highlighted the predicament of interns set to report to their duty stations without confirmed financial support. He noted that many lack the necessary funds for transport and initial settling costs.

Hon. Ssenyonyi recalled a commitment from the Vice President and the Minister of Health for a Cabinet meeting to resolve the matter, expressing disappointment that no solution has yet been presented.

Under Uganda’s medical education and internship policy, a mandatory supervised clinical internship is a prerequisite for medical students before they can be awarded their university degrees.

In a separate matter, Hon. Ssenyonyi also urged the government to provide a report on the prolonged suspension of several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). He stated that ten NGOs, suspended for eight months over alleged subversive activities, have not been given an opportunity to defend themselves and remain in limbo, leading to job losses for many Ugandans.

Source: https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/4523/govt-sponsored-medical-students-get-allowances