There have been running battles between the police and medical interns along parliamentary avenue on Wednesday morning, June 21, 2023, as the medics wanted to enter parliamentary premises to give their petition to the Speaker of Parliament.

In their petition, the junior doctors are protesting over non-deployment to internship places.

A bigger group of medical interns was blocked from accessing Parliament with placards.  After a few scuffles with the police, only seven of them were allowed to enter Parliamentary premises to present their petition to Speaker Anita Among.

The junior doctors were accompanied by Senior Medical personnel led by the former President of the Uganda Medical Association Dr. Ekwaro Obuku under the group- Joint Medical Professionals.

The pre-medical interns said that they have been waiting for an internship placement for one year.

Over 8.5 billion shillings is required to pay 1,900 interns who have been waiting for placements. However, there is a fresh lot and this takes the number to 4,000.

In the meeting with the few chosen seven doctors, the Speaker pledged parliamentary action to address the medics’ concerns.

“We have been in that house and talking about the issue of interns and we have given a condition to finance and pay the interns,” the Speaker said.

“We have also given a condition to finance and have these people deployed,” Speaker Among added.

While reading the National budget last week on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at Kololo Independence Grounds, the minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija promised that the government had committed to resolve the plight of medical interns and all health workers a few weeks after reading the budget.