KAMPALA – The Uganda Medical Association (UMA), has raised concerns over government’s failure to deploy over 1,500 medical interns who qualified in 2023 and 2024. These include doctors and dental surgeons, as well as nursing/midwifery and pharmacy graduates.
Dr. Herbert Luswata, Association President noted that despite available internship placements, the Ministry of Health has cited a budget shortfall of shs18.5 billion as the significant barrier to deployment.
“This is unacceptable, especially considering the consistent underfunding of the health sector,” he said in a statement.
The umbrella wants immediate allocation of supplementary funds by Parliament for intern deployment,
Improved planning by the Ministries of Health and Education & Sports to end the vicious cycle of strikes among Interns and Senior House Officers, and
Enactment of the Internship and Senior House Officer training policies proposed by UMA into law to ensure quality medical training and well-supported apprenticeship We urge the government to prioritize the health of Ugandans by addressing this critical issue without delay.