Federation of Uganda Medical Interns (FUMI) Graduate doctors whose internship begins next year have said they will not report to hospitals as scheduled in solidarity support to their sacked striking colleagues.
The pre-Intern doctors yesterday announced the nationwide boycott of government hospitals in a meeting held at Mulago that was attended by respresentatives of all medical schools in Universities nationwide. (nurses, Doctors, pharmacists, and dentists)
“We’re not joining internship when our predecessors, our seniors – the current interns, their needs are not met. Because I know the strike they are in is affecting or helping us all and we’re the current beneficiaries. You’re very much aware of the directive of the president which was ordering the interns to be receiving Shs 2.5 million which we have not received up to now and all other issues to do with welfare, accommodation for us. We cannot water down their efforts by joining,” one of the graduate doctors remarked to the press.
Last week, the Ministry of Health ordered striking medical interns to vacate hospitals in a week and pave way for their graduate colleagues.
The Ministry also asked interns who were in their second rotation five weeks ago before industrial action to find a way of finishing their training is an indication of how hard the working conditions are.
Apparently, some of the issues that catalysed the strike are lack of medicines in hospitals, lack of work tools such as personal protective equipment, accommodation, and low facilitation of just Shs 750,000 yet they literally run health facilities that have suffered perennial low staffing of qualified professionals.
The interns demand they be paid an increased salary of Shs 2.5 million but according to Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director-general of health services, this money is currently unavailable although he notes a supplementary budget was passed and awaits the release of funds by the Ministry of Finance.
When this money is finally availed, Mwebesa said in a letter written on Friday, it will only pay the striking medical workers arrears of up to November when they were still working.
Mwebesa’s directive however caused more uproar that prompted the next intern doctors to boycott their duties in advance.
