Gov’t commits to pay Shs 1m to medical interns

What the report says

Uganda’s Cabinet has approved a temporary payment plan for medical interns, following weeks of tension over allowances and working conditions. According to The Observer, the decision covers interns currently posted at training centres and is meant to address a standoff in which many of the 2,417 deployed interns had not reported for duty.

The paper reports that the government will pay a monthly stipend of Shs 1 million from August through December. Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi also said a previously proposed requirement forcing students to complete internship before graduation has been dropped, meaning they will graduate first and then begin training.

The move marks a shift from an earlier draft health training policy that had suggested ending standard intern allowances, leaving privately sponsored students with only a small meal allowance. That proposal drew criticism from interns and lawmakers, and was part of a broader dispute that had already triggered protests, arrests and remand of some striking health workers.

Representatives of the interns have described the government’s latest step as an improvement, but not a full solution. The Observer notes that the amount is still below the figure long sought by the Uganda Medical Association for junior doctors. The announcement is important because it may ease pressure on health training institutions and reduce the risk of further industrial action while broader funding and welfare questions remain unresolved.