Medical interns vow to continue strike until grievances are addressed

In Summary
  • They want government to pay their allowances
  • President directed an increase of their salaries which has not been effected
  • Interns are demanding compensation of families of doctors who died of COVID-19
Image: Courtesy

Medical Interns through Uganda Medical Association have vowed to continue with their seat down strike until the government pays their allowances.

Appearing before the parliamentary Health committee , the vice president of Uganda medical association  Edith Nakku said president Museveni has on several occasions issued directives to pay off arrears of intern doctors but both the ministry of Health and Finance have kept  a deaf ear.

She said that some of the directives  included  increasing the intern’s salary from 700,000 to 2.5 million shillings  monthly, allocating 7 billion to improve the working conditions for both interns and doctors, provide personal protective gears, health insurance, and reduction of doctor’s payee salary taxes from 30% to 10%.

 

Nakku  informed the committee that interns are  living in  fear that the government may not pay off their  allowance arrears  especially now that they are remaining with two months to complete their internship.

The association   is  also demanding for compensation  of  the 59 families of the doctors who died of COVID 19.

They want  the health Service Commission to  step up on recruiting more doctors and promotion of those in service.

Nakku  wondered  why the health ministry returns money to the consolidated fund  every end of financial year yet there are over 1000 unemployed doctors.