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Doctors set demands to address deployment of medical interns

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The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has outlined three tough demands that the government needs to fulfill, including the immediate allocation of supplementary funds.

Over 1,000 medical interns were not deployed, primarily due to a lack of sufficient funding.

Recently, a section of pre-medical interns attached to Makerere University Medical School were planning to protest the failure of the Ministry of Health to deploy them to various medical centers for internship. According to the students, none of the 125 from the 2024 cohort have been deployed yet, despite qualifying for medical practice.

The Ministry of Health revealed that a total of 2,500 medical students would be deployed for an internship.

However, when the final list was released later, only about 1,200 nationally had been deployed.

In a statement, Dr. Herbert Luswata, the president of UMA, emphasized the need for the government to prioritize health sector issues, as they are critical to all Ugandans.

He outlined three demands, including an immediate allocation of supplementary funds for intern deployment and improved planning to prevent future disruptions in healthcare services.

He also called for the implementation of training policies to enhance medical education standards.

Dr. Luswata highlighted the urgent need for the deployment of over 1,500 medical interns who qualified in 2023 and 2024, expressing deep concern over the delay, emphasising the critical role these interns play in bolstering Uganda’s healthcare system.

“The delay in deploying these interns not only hampers their professional growth but also poses a grave risk to the quality of healthcare services available to Ugandans,” he stated.

Furthermore, Dr. Luswata condemned the government’s inaction due to an alleged budget shortfall of Shs 18.5 billion, labeling it as unacceptable.

“The underfunding of the health sector has persisted for too long, and it is time for concrete action to be taken to rectify this dire situation,” he added.

Dr. Luswata called for action, urging the government to prioritize the health of Ugandans by swiftly addressing this pressing issue.

“The time for delay is over. Lives are at stake, and we cannot afford to compromise on the well-being of our citizens any longer,” he emphasized.

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