Govt agrees to pay striking medical interns, SHOs

Government has tasked the Ministry of Finance to find funds to pay medical interns and striking Senior House Officers (SHOs). The decision was made during a cabinet meeting held on Monday.

According to sources, the Cabinet has thus ordered striking doctors to resume work today.

However, the Uganda Medical Association Secretary-General, Dr. Herbert Luswata, says they will determine the fate of the strike after meeting officials from the Ministry of Health today.

Luswata meanwhile says salary disparity issues raised by medical officers special grade whose new title of Associate Consultants was approved in a high-level meeting last week was not discussed by Cabinet.

A number of medical officers including Associate Consultants and Senior House Officers have been on strike over pay disparities, title disputes, as well as failure by the government to pay their allowances.

“Information we got from the Ministry of Health is that the cabinet was able to approve the payment of allowances to medical interns and to ensure that they are deployed and also approved to ensure that there is payment of allowances to Senior House Officers,” Dr. Luswata told KFM.

On Monday, several pre-medical interns were arrested for holding nationwide strikes protesting against their delayed deployment to health facilities and the decision by govt for them to pay for their internship.

Written by Ritah Kemigisa