Prime
Prioritise medical interns
Police engage in running battles with medical interns in June. Part of the money, Shs22.9b plus Shs3b for arrears, will go to medical intern allowances. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Even if health centres were well stocked with medicine, medical supplies and sundries, without medical personnel to administer them, it is an effort in vain
Scenes of medical doctors in running battles with police when they could be attending to patients in hospitals are highly disturbing.
Once again, medical interns have been protesting owing to delays by government to realise the promised deployment and failure to set in motion a plan that will not only absorb available interns but also ensure adequate facilitation as they embark on an internship as part of requirement for professional certification and support to the existing health care system.
In the past two years, voices of protest have continued to grow over the persistent failure or inability of the ministry of health to deploy medical interns.
There is dissatisfaction over intern contracts and working conditions.
Complaints have ranged from unexplained pay cuts to failure to absorb the full number of interns, with those left out crying foul.
Last year, the minister of Health reported that the ministry needed at least Shs80b to deploy the interns.
This month, the government the health ministry says it has set aside Shs35b, less than half of the amount projected last year, for the deployment of about 2,000 interns.
Medical interns include graduates of medicine and surgery, pharmacists and nurses who need a one-year placement to qualify for a permanent practicing license from the respective professional bodies.
During their practice period, medical interns offer invaluable support to the often-understaffed hospitals and health centres, helping to shore up health care across the country.
According to World Health organisation (WHO) statistics, as of 2021, Uganda has 1.58 medical doctors per 10 000 people, less than 1 pharmacist per 10,000 people and 16.9 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people. This is below the WHO recommended doctor-patient ratio of 1:1000.
With the additional restrictions on deployment numbers driven by lack of funding, the health staffing gap only grows wider. In the provision of health care, the contribution of human resources cannot be underestimated.
Even if health centres were well stocked with medicine, medical supplies and sundries, without medical personnel to administer them, it is an effort in vain.
So far, only 1,263 medical interns out of 2,541university graduates awaiting deployment (about 50 per cent) have been granted internships.
The health ministry, therefore, ought to prioritise deployment of medical interns to not only ensure the interns fulfil their requirements for certification and plug the current gaps but also to ensure there will be a continued boost to staffing as the population continues to grow and demands on health care expand.
