WAIT FOR YOUR TURN! Why Medical Interns Have Been Told to Wait for Another Year Before Being Placed

Hundreds of students, who should be medical interns (also referred to as medical pre-interns) have been told to wait for another year, with the government Ministry of Health (MoH) saying the facilities it supervises cannot take in all of them at a go.

On July 29, Director General of Health Services at MoH Dr Henry Mwebesa confirmed that the Uganda Medical Internship Committee (UMIC) had concluded the random placement of medical interns for a period of one year with effect from August 05, 2024. The internship will end on 31 July, 2024.

But what the MoH has done is to pick those who completed their academic programs or courses last year, telling those who completed this year to wait for their turn. There are more students ready for internship but the available health facilities can only take in some of them, meaning others have to wait for their turn.

There is even backlog from previous years. Those who have been placed are not necessary those who completed their courses last year: there are some from previous years.

“This placement of Medical Interns covers graduates who completed their courses in 2023 and before. The group has been outstanding since last year as backlog,” wrote Dr Mwebesa on July 29, 2024. “The deployment takes into account the training facilities in place. Graduates of 2024 will be deployed in future.”

The matter has made those who should have been placed for internship to protest the delay. It has also caught the attention of Parliament of Uganda, which is responsible for scrutinizing budgetary allocations to the health sector.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said would be medical intern students have been reaching out to him for help. Tayebwa (Ruhinda North – NRM) was particularly concerned that this is the same batch of students that missed some study time during the Covid19 period, and should not be delayed further since they have done their part.

“I have received several complaints from medical intern students. Most of them have bombarded my social media accounts… they have very many [concerns] and this issue of their delayed deployment, it is a thorn for us, and it has been happening year after year and then we say, ‘we have very many professional bodies, how come, it is only medical interns who usually have such issues?’ What is the problem? Is it the issue of funding, is it the issue of facilities?” wondered Tayebwa.

“If you are telling these interns that you are giving them another year at home. ‘I have done my part, I have finished studying but you are saying I can’t practice until I do internship, but then, you aren’t taking me for internship, so what do I do?’ And most of them lost a lot of time during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

It was against this background that Tayebwa directed health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng to present a statement on the matter.  “I know many colleagues had raised this issue but I think the right way is, the Minister of Health on Tuesday brings a statement about this issue. Like all other professions, the doctors also need to move,” he directed.

This is not the first time intern doctors are facing challenges with their placement and welfare. Last year, government cut internship allowance for the 1,901 interns to Shs1m per month, leaving them grumbling. There has also been heated meetings, including one where insults were hurled at PS Dr Diana Atwine. (See Details Here and There).

In terms of salaries, this financial year, government has focused on Police, prisons and junior UPDF officers, increasing their salaries. (See Details Here, There and Over There).

You can see the current salary structure, showing how much each government employee category earns, as well the list of 25 most highly paid government employees and how much they earn Here, There and Over There.