Medical interns through their association of Federation for Uganda medical interns (FUMI) has issued a warning to Ministry of Health (MOH) to pay their allowance within four days or go on strike.

While delivering the state of the address on the state of medical internship on November 27, 2023, Dr. Bill Adrati, the President of FUMI said that, medical interns were deployed across 58 centres in August 2023, but decry of working under difficult conditions due to delayed payment of allowance.

“We gave our best to serve, but the ministry’s delayed payments have left us in dilemma. If allowances are not cleared within 4 days, we will have no choice but to lay down our tools,” he said.

Adrati revealed that, within the shortest time of deployment of medical interns, they have experienced issues with delayed payments of allowance, adding that, they are not going to tolerate it.

He highlighted that the allowances for August and September came towards the end of October, stating that they are now concluding November in the next few days but the ministry has just sent the allowances for October.

He stated that, delays in payment of allowances compromises their ability to deliver health services to Ugandans, which has to be corrected.

He noted that any medical intensive site that has not received the allowances for October, November and December, by the end of this month, effective December 1, 2023, they will lay down tools in those facilities and not proceed with the work.

Medical interns are frontline health workers who perform the bulk of work to over 60% of the medical, surgical, pharmacy, midwifery and dentists in the National General Referral Hospitals, and Regional Referral Hospitals.

In July 27, 2023, the Ministry of Health cleared and deployed over 1,900 medical interns across 58 internship centres across the country following rampant strikes and arrests over delayed deployment.