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Medical interns appeal to President Museveni for deployment
A police officer confronts medical students during a demonstration at Mulago hospital on July 30. The medical students said they were protesting against government’s failure to deploy them for internship. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI.
What you need to know:
In their letter dated August 3, the interns outlined their request for deployment and supplementary funding
Frustrated by delays and failed attempts through various channels, Uganda’s medical interns have written a letter to President Yoweri Museveni, urging him to intervene and direct the Ministry of Health to deploy the remaining 1,327 medical interns.
In their letter dated August 3, the interns outlined their request for deployment and supplementary funding, stating: "You direct the Ministry of Health to deploy the remaining 1,327 medical interns. You direct the Ministry of Finance to avail supplementary funding of UGX 18,813,600 to cater for the above directive."
The interns also expressed their desire to meet with President Museveni for further clarification on the matter. They emphasized the critical nature of the internship, highlighting its necessity for full registration and licensure to practice medicine.
“Dear Your Excellency Gen. Yoweri K. Museveni,
While Internship is a mandatory part of medical training, it is surprising and unfortunate that this year, out of 2,706 applicants, only 1,263, that is to say, 46.6%, were deployed on 29th July 2024, with an extra 116 deployed on the 6th August 2024, making a total of 1,379 medical interns, which is 50.96% of total applicants.
This leaves a total of 1,327 undeployed medical pre-interns in a hopeless state as it is only after internship that we are fully registered, and given a license, and only then can we fully practice. This number is far below the 1,926 deployed last year, 2023, and 1,614 deployed in 2022, yet there is an increase in the number of accredited Internship training sites from 58 in 2023 to 73 in 2024.
Although the Ministry of Health recommends a ratio of 1 specialist to 4 interns in training sites, many sites have a ratio of almost 1 specialist to 1 intern. These include, among others, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, Kawempe National Referral Hospital (which, instead of having only 174 interns as deployed, should have about 240) and Mulago National Specialized Women’s and Neonatal Hospital, not forgetting that some sites have no medical intern doctors at all, including General Hospitals such as Kamuli, Kitgum, Bugiri, Kiryandongo, Yumbe, Apac, and Nakaseke General Hospital, among others.
Additionally, not all medical interns require specialists for their training, and these include nurses, pharmacists, and midwives. Therefore, the subject of fewer specialists is not plausible and should not impede our deployment.
From the press statement by the Minister of Health released on August 2, 2024, an additional UGX 18,813,600,000 (Eighteen Billion Eight Hundred Thirteen Million Six Hundred Thousand Shillings Only) is required to deploy all eligible medical interns.
The 1,327 pre-medical interns are looking forward to positive feedback from you, Your Excellency."
The interns’ letter comes as Parliament and the Cabinet are still deliberating on the issue. However, the medical interns have voiced their concerns over the delays, stressing the urgency of their situation.
