By Our Reporter,
NATIONAL
Ugandan students on their medical intern have insisted on calling off their ongoing industrial action until their allowances are fully paid as per the presidential directive last year that they should receive half of the general medical workers’ salary.
On February 1, the disgruntled intern doctors announced a sit down strike in all government hospitals accusing the government of not implementing the presidential directive to increase their monthly allowance from Shs1 million to Shs2.4 million.
Shanita Nankya, the vice president of Federation of Ugandan Medical Interns (FUMI) told reports in Kampala they re receiving intimidations by their internship supervisors in hospitals where tbey are placed to cancel their appointment letters.
“Let them call us to find a way on how we can improve the interns’ welfare. We also want to live a decent life. When we are hungry, we cannot make the right diagnosis meaning in this, we are not only doing a disservice to the medical interns but to patients as well,” she said.
I would like to appreciate the some of the outcomes of the medical interns strike. More jobs to be created for the doctors . This will greatly solve the issue of unemployment for the doctors and other health workers if it gets implemented. Thanks to @KagutaMuseveni 👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/n5cza0cVxD
— Mary Lilian MD (@MaryLilian18) June 10, 2021
She noted that intimidation cannot solve their problems, and wondered how Senior doctors who passed through similar situations could raise accusation fingers against them. These have pledged not to resume working until the president’s directive is implemented.
