Cabinet lifts suspension of facilitation for medical interns

What the report says

Uganda’s cabinet has reversed an earlier suspension of facilitation for medical interns and approved a monthly payment package of sh1 million for interns deployed at internship centres, according to The Independent Uganda. The announcement was made in Kampala on Tuesday, one day after eight interns who had marched to parliament over pay issues were released on court bail.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told parliament that the cabinet had rescinded its previous position and that the current cohort of interns would receive the allowance from August through December. The report says the move comes after many of the 2,417 deployed interns declined to report for duty, citing concerns over allowances and related conditions.

The dispute is tied to wider debate over a proposed National Education and Training for Health Policy, which had sought to remove intern allowances and introduce changes to the training pathway for health professionals. A separate government statement reported by the publisher also indicated that the idea of requiring students to complete internship before graduation has been dropped.

Former Federation of Uganda Medical Interns leader Dr Joel Mirembe welcomed the payment decision but argued that the cabinet was acting on inaccurate information. He also said the policy changes should be reviewed with input from stakeholders, as the broader disagreement over pay and training standards in Uganda’s health sector continues.