The government has suspended a controversial provision that sought to introduce different facilitation arrangements for privately sponsored and government-sponsored medical interns, Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi has told Parliament.
The decision follows weeks of parliamentary pressure and protests by medical interns over the government’s earlier position on their allowances, with some interns arrested, charged and remanded in connection with the demonstrations. Presenting an update to Parliament, Dr Baryomunsi said Cabinet had agreed to maintain the existing facilitation arrangement for the current cohort of medical interns.
Under the decision, all medical interns will continue receiving Shs1,268,929 per month, subject to tax, leaving a net monthly payment of approximately Shs1 million. The minister said the decision followed consultations with President Yoweri Museveni and Cabinet, which considered the concerns raised by the interns and Parliament.
The earlier policy had proposed different arrangements based on how interns had been sponsored during their university education. Government-sponsored students would continue receiving government support during internship, while privately sponsored graduates would largely depend on their parents or guardians, with the government providing an allowance for meals estimated at Shs483,334.
The proposal triggered strong opposition from medical interns and sections of the medical fraternity, who argued that internship is a mandatory stage of professional training and that all interns should receive equal facilitation. Dr Baryomunsi said the government has now suspended the differentiation for the current cohort, meaning privately and government-sponsored interns will receive the same Shs1,268,929 monthly payment.
The minister also clarified that the government had not changed the traditional structure of medical training. Graduates of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Pharmacy, as well as graduate nurses and midwives, are required to undertake one year of internship after completing their university education and passing their final examinations before they can obtain practising licences.
The Ministry of Health deploys the graduates to accredited internship facilities, where they train under the supervision of specialists and consultants. Baryomunsi said the government had expanded the number of accredited internship centres by posting specialists to additional facilities, including general hospitals, allowing it to deploy all eligible graduates. According to the minister, 2,490 interns have been deployed in the current exercise, comprising medical doctors, dental surgeons, pharmacists, graduate nurses and midwives.
While suspending the disputed facilitation arrangement for the current cohort, Cabinet has directed the Ministry of Health to undertake a broader review of the country’s health workforce needs. Dr Baryomunsi said the review will examine how many health professionals Uganda needs to train, how graduates can be absorbed into the health system and what remuneration should be provided to medical workers.
The review comes amid concerns over increasing numbers of health professionals qualifying without corresponding employment opportunities in the public health system. The minister also disclosed that President Museveni had expressed a view that the remuneration of medical workers should not be subjected to taxation in the same manner as other public servants, drawing a comparison with the treatment of members of the armed forces.
He said the Ministry of Health will study the issue and return with a comprehensive proposal on human resources for health. Dr Baryomunsi also addressed the fate of interns who were arrested during protests over the disputed facilitation policy. The minister said his position is that the arrested interns should be released and that the charges against them should potentially be dropped, although he acknowledged that the courts and the Director of Public Prosecutions are independent and cannot be directed by the Minister of Health. About eight interns were arrested, produced before court, charged and remanded following the demonstrations.
Baryomunsi said the Ministry of Health would engage the judicial authorities and the Attorney General to seek an amicable resolution to the matter and enable the affected interns to return to their training. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has extended the deadline for medical interns to report to their respective health facilities.
The reporting deadline, which had initially been set for August 14, 2026, has now been extended to Friday, August 21, 2026. All medical interns are expected to report to the health facilities where they were posted by the new deadline. Baryomunsi also tabled the National Education and Training for Health Policy, approved by Cabinet on October 6, 2025, saying it was designed to establish a regulatory framework for training competent health professionals.
He said some provisions of the policy had generated concern among interns and the wider medical fraternity. The minister explained that, as a Cabinet-approved policy, he did not have the authority to unilaterally reverse or amend the contested provisions. He instead undertook consultations with Cabinet and the President before presenting the government’s latest position to Parliament-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
