Why medical interns are dissatisfied with Shs1m allowance

“The opinion from most interns is that that one million is very insufficient, although they appreciate the effort to meet some of our demands,” he said.

Dr Shego said the current standards of living make the money insufficient to cover basic needs, and yet they are required to be very committed during the internship.

“You spend about Shs20,000 on feeding a day; that’s Shs600,000 a month and about Shs350,000 on rent a month. And then you spend about Shs300,000 on transport a month. These three items cost around Shs1.2 million. So, the Shs1 million shillings is insufficient,” he said.

The interns were demanding a monthly allowance of Shs4 million before they could report and start their one-year training, a requirement to get the practising licence from their respective professional councils.

Dr Shego said the minimum realistic amount should be around Shs2.5 million, which the President had promised.

“Therefore, we seek that the presidential directive of 2021 of Shs2.5 million be reinstated. We are going to meet with the various stakeholders and negotiate something that’s feasible for both of us, which is not too high for them and not too low for us,” he said.

However, Dr Frank Asiimwe, the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) president, said it is time for interns to report to duty. He also asked the government to put the Tuesday announcement in writing so that all parties have assurance.

“The internship allowance issue has been resolved, for now. All medical interns should report to their designated internship sites immediately and serve our country with diligence and professionalism,” Dr Asiimwe stated.

“UMA will continue liaising with the relevant authorities to pursue permanent, viable solutions to the challenges affecting medical internship,” he added.

90-day ultimatum
Dr Shego told the Daily Monitor that they have accepted to report for internship. But he said they have given the government three months to provide them the amount the President approved for them in 2021.

“We gave them 90 days to implement the presidential directive of paying Shs2.5 million. The second one is the withdrawal of the National Education and Training for Health Policy (NETH),” he said.

Minister of Health Dr Chris Baryomunsi, while announcing Cabinet’s approval in Parliament on Tuesday, explained that they have been paying Shs1,268,929, which comes to a net pay of Shs1 million when taxed.

“The proposal in that (NETH) policy had been that for those who are government sponsored, the sponsorship continues at internship, and for those who were privately sponsored, then your guardian or parent continues sponsoring you,” the minister told MPs.

The medical interns – doctors, pharmacists and graduate nurses – were supposed to report to internship sites between August 1 and August 14, but many had reportedly not yet done so as they protested the earlier plan to stop giving some groups the allowance.

The interns, according to the UMA, are essential in service delivery due to the limited number of medical workers employed by the government.

What other countries pay interns
Reports from official and credible media outlets indicate that the pay for medical interns varies across the countries in East Africa. The countries also have different GDPs and different salary scales in their public service.

Our assessment of available data also indicates that the Shs1,268,929 gross pay is below the earnings in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania, although those countries also have larger economies than Uganda’s.

In Kenya, media reports indicate that medical interns are paid between Kshs180,000 (Ushs5.18 million) and Kshs208,000 (Ushs5.99 million) each month, depending on where one is posted.

In Tanzania, available online reports indicate that medical interns deployed in public facilities earn a gross monthly salary of approximately TZS 1.4 million (Ushs1.9 million) to TZS1.55 million (Ushs2.1 million).

Meanwhile, in Rwanda, available reports indicate that medical interns receive a monthly allowance of around RWF300,000 (Ushs750,000) per month.

According to data from the International Monetary Fund, total GDP for Kenya is $147.26 billion, Tanzania is $94.89 billion, Uganda is $73.37 billion, and Rwanda is $17.34 billion.