The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Health to resolve the deployment and welfare concerns of medical interns, warning that doctors across the country will commence industrial action if the government fails to provide clear and satisfactory commitments.
The decision was adopted during an Extraordinary General Assembly attended by about 4,500 medical doctors from Uganda and the diaspora, with 99% of members supporting the industrial action notice.
In a statement dated August 11, 2026, UMA President Dr. Frank R. Asiimwe said doctors would begin industrial action upon the expiry of the 14-day notice if the Ministry of Health fails to issue written assurances on the deployment and adequate facilitation of medical interns.
“U.M.A fully supports the decision by medical interns to remain at home until the Ministry of Health issues deployment instructions that guarantee adequate financial support to meet their basic living expenses, including accommodation, transport, meals, and other essential needs,” Dr. Asiimwe said.
UMA is demanding a monthly internship allowance of Shs4 million for every medical intern throughout the one-year internship period, arguing that the allowance is necessary to enable interns to meet basic living expenses while undertaking mandatory supervised practice.
The association said industrial action would, however, continue to protect emergency care and other essential life-saving services.
Dr. Asiimwe said doctors could also embark on industrial action immediately, without waiting for the 14-day notice to expire, if the government victimises interns, retracts deployment orders or discriminates against eligible interns.
“Any further threats, intimidation, or punitive action issued by the Ministry of Health against medical interns for raising legitimate concerns regarding their deployment and facilitation shall trigger immediate industrial action,” he said.
UMA further demanded that all 2,417 eligible medical interns be deployed to accredited training sites across the country without discrimination or retraction of deployment orders.
The association is also demanding Cabinet action on several issues, including the immediate suspension or withdrawal of the National Education and Training for Health Policy to allow for broader stakeholder consultations.
It wants the government to provide written guarantees that medical interns will receive allowances in all future deployment letters and immediately clear outstanding payments owed to more than 300 medical interns, residents and fellows who, according to UMA, have remained unpaid since July 2025 despite having contracts with government.
Beyond the internship crisis, UMA raised wider concerns about Uganda’s health sector, including inadequate financing, staffing shortages, salary discrepancies affecting associate consultants and prolonged career stagnation among medical officers.
The association called for increased health sector financing, with a clear roadmap towards the 15% Abuja Declaration target, as well as lifting the ban on health sector recruitment.
UMA also wants the government to improve the doctor-to-patient ratio, which it puts at about one doctor for every 25,000 patients, towards the World Health Organisation-recommended ratio of one doctor per 1,000 patients.
Dr. Asiimwe said the welfare of medical interns was directly linked to patient safety and the quality of healthcare delivery.
“Medical interns are not students. They are qualified doctors, simply undergoing a mandatory one-year supervised practice because they are about to be released to make life-and-death decisions for you and me,” he said.
He added that interns form a major part of frontline clinical care in Uganda’s public health system, with UMA estimating that they account for about 70% of healthcare delivery in facilities where they are deployed.
“Subjecting graduate doctors on apprenticeship to unviable living conditions jeopardizes both their well-being and patient safety, posing both a health and security threat,” Dr. Asiimwe said.
UMA said it remains open to dialogue with government but warned that it will defend the rights, safety and welfare of healthcare workers.
The association’s decision places renewed pressure on the Ministry of Health to resolve the internship deployment impasse before the 14-day notice expires.
