Uganda: Intern Doctors Threaten Boycott Over Scrapped Allowances Under New Health Ministry Policy
[Nile Post] Medical intern doctors in Uganda have threatened to boycott deployment to health facilities following the Ministry of Health's decision to scrap their monthly allowances under a new internship policy.
Ugandan medical intern doctors are threatening to boycott deployment to healthcare facilities over the Ministry of Health's decision to eliminate their monthly allowances. This decision, announced in June, reverses years of government practice and fails to recognize the significant workload and responsibilities interns carry in hospitals.
Interns argue that their work warrants financial compensation and are demanding an allowance equivalent to 70% of the salary paid to fully licensed doctors. The Federation of Uganda Medical Interns, which represents the interns, says the policy change undermines the value of their contributions and the one-year supervised practice required before obtaining full professional licenses.
Despite the policy change, recent deployments for the 2026/2027 internship term have proceeded, but the federation warns that hospital managers may take action against interns who do not report as scheduled. The Ministry of Health maintains that internship is part of professional training and should not attract a salary, but the federation is prepared to remain at home until the allowance dispute is resolved.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
