Doctors Give Government 14 Days to Resolve Medical Intern Crisis

What the report says

The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has given the government 14 days to address disputes affecting medical interns, warning that doctors may begin nationwide industrial action if no acceptable response is received. The issue centres on deployment, payment and welfare concerns for interns who have not reported to training sites while they wait for clarity from the Ministry of Health. UMA’s position was set out during an Extraordinary General Assembly, which the association said drew about 4,500 doctors from Uganda and the diaspora.

According to the Nile Post report, UMA says it is backing the interns’ decision to stay away from internship facilities until their conditions are clarified. The association argues that interns are qualified doctors completing a mandatory supervised year, not students, and says they should be deployed to accredited sites without discrimination. UMA also wants government to pay outstanding arrears owed to more than 300 medical interns, residents and fellows, and says some have not been paid since July 2025.

The doctors’ list of demands includes a monthly allowance of Shs4 million for interns, as well as better welfare support for accommodation, transport and food while they work in health facilities. UMA also wants the National Education and Training for Health Policy suspended or withdrawn for broader consultation.

The association said emergency and other life-saving services would continue if industrial action begins. The dispute comes amid broader concerns over health-sector funding, staffing shortages and salary-related grievances in Uganda’s medical sector, according to the report.