Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has proposed using funds saved from public holiday functions to pay medical interns.
Speaking during the debate on medical interns on the floor of parliament, Ssenyonyi asked Government to drop the reported plan to suspend facilitation for medical interns.
He said medical interns provide critical labour after completing their training and should not be expected to treat patients without support for basic needs like accommodation and food.
“How do you expect them to show up to take care of us, including us in this place? Why it matters: the issue touches both health worker welfare and patient care, especially in public hospitals that rely on interns as part of frontline service delivery,” Ssenyonyi said.
Vice President Jessica Alupo responded saying Government is open to reviewing the proposal on medical interns’ facilitation.Alupo said the growth in the number of medical doctors and other science professionals is a result of deliberate Government investment in science teaching and human resource development.
She further stated that Government should be allowed to discuss the issue further.
Medical interns will stop receiving government allowances starting August 2026. The change, approved by Cabinet in October 2024, means students will now complete their internship before graduating. That extends medical training to six years in total.
Medical leaders led by Dr Frank Asiimwe, the president of the Uganda Medical Association, have rejected that plan, warning that the changes could damage medical training and weaken healthcare services across public hospitals.
Government currently pays medical interns a monthly allowance of Shs2.5 million, raised from Shs1 million in 2021 after a presidential directive.
