By Jumah Kakomo
Uganda People’ Congress UPC party has advised government to drop the looming medical internship policy that will have private medical interns immediately fund their transport, accommodation and basic needs as Government provide only food allowances.
While addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Arach Oyat Sharon said that policy is not only controversial, but will also undermine the country’s health sector in several ways especially at this time when its engulfed in a number of challenges which include understaffing, insufficient medical drugs and equipment, and distant health outlets which makes it difficult for the patients to access medical examination and treatment.
“The question of medical interns who are unable to proceed with their training raises a great concern. The medical training and studies are inherently very expensive and if the government does not come to assist the private students, it means few of them shall manage to graduate and this poses a big question of what will become of our health sector with a small number of professionals.” Said Sharon
UPC thus appealed to the government to go slow on the internship decisions and instead give the health sector a priority in funding.
“It only makes sense if the government continues to play her role of funding such productive programmes like medical internship. The covid-19 pandemic that put Uganda and the entire world on its knees, should be a good example for us as a country to produce more highly qualified doctors and champion health aspects. We should acknowledge that it is a very huge sacrifice and commitment on both parents and guardians to privately sponsor their daughters and sons for a medical course.” Said Sharon
She added “As we speak now, our ratio of doctor to patients is still low to the recommended standards of World Health Organisation (WHO). By implication we should be producing medical doctors on a large scale and creating attractive conditions of retaining them. The starting point is how we look after our medical interns. The retired ones may even be recalled and offered special contracts.”
UPC emphasized that the Government should drop the proposed internship policy and focus on improving the conditions of medical staff and interns since Uganda’s health sector needs to be given special attention.
