Medical interns ask for emergency evacuation from Mubende hospital amid Ebola outbreak

The 34 interns addressed the Ministry of Health in a letter saying that Ebola has a severe mortality rate above 54 percent which leaves a small window of operating training within the hospital, which is the hotbed of the virus that has since claimed 23 lives.

They have since said that they are launching a sit down strike until they receive support and are placed in better working conditions.

“We have decided to withhold our duties until an emergency evacuation to other safe sites that can favour us," the letter reads in part.

According to the letter, the hospital capacity to give the interns all necessary training has greatly reduced since the virus has saturated the facility cutting them off to necessary conditions that are vital in their internship training.

Among their grievances, they cited a gap in expertise since most experienced doctors have been enrolled on the virus response team. In the absence of this expert direction, moreover, they lack equipment to protect them, insurance and zero support for victims among the group.

“We are working under limited supervision since most of our supervisors have been recruited to the task force. We lack of appropriate support(such) as Personal Protective Gears (PPES), risk allowance, and medical care for our colleagues previously exposed,” the letter reads.

In addition, they have mentioned that they are expected to cover their medical bills when exposed to the virus in absence of a proper health insurance coverage.

The letter was received by Musa Lumumba, president of Federation of Uganda Medical Interns (FUMI) who asked government to respond to the concerns of their colleagues in a timely manner.

“As the leadership of the Federation for Uganda Medical Interns, a legally registered federation established to unite all medical interns, we find the above concerns pertinent and hereby ally with our colleagues at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital,” he said.

Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the spokesperson at the Ministry of Health, acknowledged the letter, saying that all response gear is available and that the interns should not resort to strike, but wait for the ministry's counsel on how to move forward.