Medical Interns in the country have delivered a petition to Parliament despite being blocked by police early Wednesday morning in Kampala.
The interns who matched from Mulago Medical School enroute to Parliament were blocked earlier in the day by police along Nakasero Road around the Nigerian High Commission for hours before resorting to another plan that finally saw them reach Parliament.
The group chose to tactfully put off their medical coats in disguised and proceeded to town only to take police at Parliament by surprise. Huge number of interns would then camp at Parliament’s main gate with police constantly pushing them but with no success.
One of the leaders, Simeon Eroba was arrested but this didn’t scare off the Interns who finally met the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Michael Bukenya and other MPs came to address their issues.
The interns were protesting the proposals by the Ministry of Health to make amendments to the current policies concerning the medical practitioners’ internship program to the following effect. In the new proposal, medical interns who were previously on private sponsorship scheme while pursuing their Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery, will not be given their allowances in lieu of salary on that premise only.
Further still, medical interns who were previously on Government sponsorship scheme while pursuing their Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery will be required to work an extra two years of ‘bonding’ after the mandatory one year before acquiring their practicing licenses.
The committee Chairperson in company of other legislators including James Kakooza, Dr. Sam Lyomoki and Gilbert Olanya led the group to the Parliamentary CHOGM Gardens to chat a way forward.
The meeting was later joined by the Security Minister, Gen. Henry Tumukunde who promised to take up the matter as a national issue and present their plea to the relevant authorities.
“From here, I will inform the Minister that we have given due attention to your issues; we are going to discuss the matters with the Ministry of Health, am also going to inform the Prime Minister about your issues and the matter will be brought to an end,” Tumukunde told the gathering.
Gen. Tumukunde later told the press; “These issues are pertinent and require to be given attention. Such a demonstration is a security issue in the country; I have advised them (students) to continue working with the Parliament Committee since they are concerned with the budgetary allocation.”
The General also issued a directive to have all interns that have been arrested across the country released indefinitely.