Interns Strike Over Poor Pay
Patients in government-aided facilities across the country are feeling the pinch after medical interns suspended their daily operations in a sit-down strike.
On Tuesday, interns under their umbrella body the Federation for Uganda Medical Interns (FUMI) resolved to lay down their tools over governments failure to better their wages.
At Mulago hospital majority of patients are stranded and unable to get medical attention following the strike.
Hundreds of patients who turned up early to receive treatment were spotted sitting idle on the hospital benches with no one to attend to them.
Close to 1,403 medical interns, in 42 hospitals are protesting poor working conditions.The interns claim their current allowances that stand at sh 750,000 /=are low.
They claim their working and living conditions are deplorable as they work without lunch and live in slums .
The interns say about 80 percent of patients in the hospitals, are made up of doctors, graduate nurses, dental surgeons, and pharmacists who hold provisional practicing licenses from their professional bodies.
They are demanding that the government increases their monthly salary from Shs 750, 000 to Shs3 million for doctors and pharmacists. And graduate nurses also are increased from Shs750, 000 to Shs2.2 million.
FUMI claims the government under the Ministry of finance has continuously ignored their demands for a better pay since 2019 to 2021.
Interns Strike Over Poor Pay
The interns said the government gave them Shs11.4 billion in the 2019/2020 financial year.
The Health Ministry spokesperson, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, asked the interns to be patient.
“We acknowledge the demand but the funds required to meet are not within our budget. We have already raised the issue to government structures and it is being discussed. We appeal to the medical interns to put patience first and understand that internship is part of their training requirements,” he said.
