Intern doctors vows to strike if allowances are not increased

By Shamim Nateebwa:

Intern doctors under the Uganda Medical Association have also vowed to lay down their tools if the Ministry of health does not increase their allowances, especially now that their workload has increased due to ongoing doctors’ strike.

Robert Lubega, the president of the intern doctors association says whereas the ministry has heeded to their calls and released their monthly allowance of Shs740,000 after several months of waiting, it is still too little compared to the current work load.

Lubega says they now want atleast 2.5 million shillings which is only about 35% of the money paid to their counterparts in neighboring Kenya.

Currently intern doctors are the ones offering emergency services at public hospitals, after the doctors under the Uganda Medical Association laid down their tools over low pay and poor working conditions yesterday.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Dianna Atwiine  has appealed the interns to return to work because government does not have that kind of money now.

Written by David Kugonza