Uganda Intern Doctors Threaten Boycott Over Scrapped Allowances Under New Health Ministry Policy

Medical intern doctors in Uganda are poised to boycott their upcoming deployment, escalating a dispute with the Ministry of Health over the elimination of monthly allowances. The ministry's new policy, announced in June, reclassifies medical internship as a continuation of training rather than formal employment, a move that has angered interns who previously received substantial stipends.

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Internship doctors aren't students, and paying them helps differentiate them from continuing medical students.

The Federation of Uganda Medical Interns argues that this decision reverses years of government practice and fails to acknowledge the demanding workload and responsibilities interns undertake. They point out that interns, who work long hours including 36-hour shifts, are not mere students but qualified professionals performing crucial hospital duties. The federation highlights that the monthly allowance, which was Shs2.5 million in 2021 and reduced to Shs1 million in 2022, has now been scrapped entirely.

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One intern doctor works for 36 hours.

Intern leaders are appealing directly to President Museveni to intervene, demanding an allowance equivalent to 70 percent of a fully licensed doctor's salary. They emphasize their readiness to serve the nation's citizens but stress the need for government recognition of their contributions through financial compensation. The situation has become urgent as some hospital managers reportedly threaten disciplinary action against interns who do not report by the deployment deadline, further intensifying the standoff.

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We are ready to give our all to treat the citizens of this nation. But internship doctors are already considered doctors and deserve allowances.