Defence Ministry Blames Funding Gap for Delayed Intern Allowances

The Ministry of Defence has refuted claims that House Officers and Interns at Armed Forces Reference Hospitals have not received their allowances, asserting that payments have already begun. The ministry attributes the delay to a budgetary shortfall in the 2026 Appropriation Act, rather than any administrative oversight.

These clarifications follow a viral video where a House Officer alleged that he and his colleagues had worked for approximately 290 days without pay. The officer claimed that their attempts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful and that their contact person at the ministry could not provide a timeline for payment, causing significant financial and emotional strain.

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The Ministry of Defence has noted reports alleging the non-payment of allowances to House Officers and Interns at Armed Forces Reference Hospitals. These claims are inaccurate. Payment of outstanding allowances has commenced.

In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Defence, through its Permanent Secretary Richard Pheelangwah, detailed the payment schedule. The first tranche of payments, covering January and February allowances for Batches A and B, was disbursed on March 26, 2026. Subsequent payments for March allowances (Batches A and B) were made on April 30, 2026. On July 8, 2026, April allowances for Batches A and B, along with December 2025 and January 2026 allowances for Batch C, were paid.

The ministry emphasized that the delay stemmed from the absence of a specific budgetary allocation for these allowances since January 2026. It confirmed that the Budget Office of the Federation had been formally notified of the funding gap through official correspondence dated February 18, 2026, and July 1, 2026, with requests for urgent intervention. The ministry also noted that a total of 703 House Officers and Interns are engaged under the 2025/2026 program, with Batch C, comprising 90 individuals, having received payments up to January 2026.

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The delay is attributable to the absence of budgetary allocation for the payment of these allowances since January 2026 and not to any administrative lapse on the part of the ministry.