Government has indicated that it will review the controversial proposal to stop facilitating medical interns, following growing concern from Parliament and the public.
This announcement was made by Vice President Jessica Alupo while addressing at the flow of parliament on Wednesday.
Alupo, while responding to concerns raised by the leader of opposition said that the matter requires careful consideration.
would like to make a short response to this house, which I would like to request the house to support that we as government go and discuss and review the proposal that is now across the media across the country, and the issue that the leader of opposition has raised on the stopping of the facilitation of interns, it can be reviewed,” she said.
“Allow us as government to review and discuss the the proposal that is now across the media. It can be reviewed. So all us to return to the drawing board, discuss the issue, and at an appropriate time, the Minister of Health comes here with a clear statement, which we shall discuss with the facts,” she told Parliament.
Alupo emphasized that policies and laws are not “cast in stone” and that the government’s priority is to address the challenges facing the people.
“The teaching and learning of sciences, which has caused the number of medical doctors to more than double or triple in our education institutions, is a fundamental policy issue by government. The issue raised by the Leader of Opposition on stopping facilitation of interns can be reviewed,” she added.
The call for review follows an appeal by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, who described medical interns as “the cracks of the medical infrastructure of our country,” noting that they often work up to 48 hours nonstop to care for patients.
“The government is now mooting a policy to cease facilitating medical interns, to stop paying them for the laborious work that they do. If they don’t have money for accommodation or food, how shall we expect them to show up to take care of us?” Ssenyonyi asked.
He further urged government to use funds saved from recently suspended public holiday functions estimated at Shs24 billion to pay medical interns.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also addressed Parliament, promising that the Ministry of Health would provide a comprehensive report on the matter.
“I don’t want to give you half-baked information. The Minister of Health is new, and we need a full report to understand the gist of the matter,” she said, adding that the facilitation of interns was initially directed by President Museveni and not the opposition.
The controversy stems from the Ministry of Health’s proposal under the new national education and training health policy, which integrates internship into the formal education system and seeks to remove the monthly upkeep for medical interns starting August 2026.
President Museveni had directed in 2021 that medical interns receive a monthly allowance of Shs2.5 million.
However, due to budgetary constraints, the amount was later reduced to Shs1 million, and many interns experienced severe delays or non-payment.
