Government Set to Meet Medical Interns Over Allowances

Officials from the Ministry of Health led by the Director of Health Services, Dr Henry Mwebesa are on Friday, 17th, December 2021 expected to meet leaders of medical interns over the ongoing strike due to unpaid allowances.

This follows the government’s directive requiring medical interns to vacate government hospitals for failing to exercise patience while demanding their allowances. Medical interns have been on strike demanding that government fulfills the presidential commitments to increase their allowances.

During the plenary on Thursday, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi said that the matter is being harmoniously addressed with the medical intern doctors. “There have been engagements ongoing. The leaders of the forum of the intern doctors’ executive committee approached the Ministry of Health for a meeting which was granted. So the meeting of intern doctors’ leaders will tomorrow meet with the Director-General of Health Services along with leaders of Uganda Medical Association,” Baryomunsi said.

He added that negotiations are positive and that the interns are willing to return to work on Monday.

Speaker Jacob Oulanyah tasked the Ministry of Finance to explain why the government has not fulfilled its obligation to the intern doctors despite Parliament passing the Supplementary Budget for the same.

Minister of State for Finance in charge of General Duties, Henry Musasizi, said that the Ministry is in the final stages of releasing money to the Health Ministry to cater for the allowances of medical doctors including the interns.

“It is true the House handled this issue through the supplementary schedule (No1) to take care of allowances and salaries of medical staff. There is a process that we follow and we have been going through it. However, today we received a request from Health ministry and close of business today we should have issued a cash limit to them to facilitate them to pay the money,” Musasizi said.