Cabinet makes u-turn medical intern payment
By Our reporter
CAPTION: The Cabinet has reversed its earlier decision to suspend the facilitation of medical interns, with each set to receive a net UGX Shs1.2 million monthly allowance.
While briefing Parliament on Tuesday, the Minister of health Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, revealed that the current cohort of 2,490 medical interns to be deployed across 77 accredited centers will receive UGX Shs1,268,929 monthly allowance.
He revealed that the allowance will be subject to tax, leaving interns with a net payment of UGX Shs1 million a month.
“Going forward, the current cohort of medical interns will be paid the same amount, UGX Shs1,268,929, which is subject to tax resulting to a net pay of UGX Shs1 million,” Baryomunsi said.
The minister further revealed that cabinet had also resolved to suspend a new policy that would have created different facilitation rates for medical interns based on whether they were sponsored by the Government or private institutions.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, urged the Health Minister to consider engaging cabinet so that the next cohort of medical interns also receive their allowances.
“This particular rescinding is for only this cohort, and that worries because it means that even next year we shall still be here complaining” he said.
He also argued that the UGX Shs1 million net allowance should eventually be reviewed upwards because of the rising cost of living and the difficult conditions under which many interns work.
“Many of them are in far-to-reach places, and so one million shillings or that kind of thing, many years ago, cannot be the same today,” Ssenyonyi said.
The cabinet decision comes a week after the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) issued a 14 days ultimatum to the government to work on pending welfare for medical interns across the country, or risk an industrial action.
In a statement dated August 11th by the Association President, Dr Frank Asiimwe, revealed that the resolution was adopted following an extraordinary General Assembly attended by 4,500 medical doctors from across Uganda and the diaspora, concerning the concerning the ongoing crisis in the deployment and welfare of medical interns.
