Among urges Government to deploy intern doctors

Among expressed concern over the lack of health workers at health facilities, attributing it to a lack of motivation caused by lack of funds. 

Referring to the recent social media campaign #HealthSectorExhibition, Among called on Government to provide adequate funding for the health sector and to deploy intern doctors to help address the shortage.

Among noted that failure to deploy intern doctors not only leads to a shortage of qualified medical personnel but also means that the interns cannot practice as doctors. 

Among told the House that she was surprised by a report from her district Bukedea which indicated that health workers were not in the facilities.

“We need to encourage our health workers to always be available for our people, and as Parliament, we will try our best to always ensure that we have money for the health workers, hospitals, and the medicines,” she said.

Michael Bukenya Member of Parliament (MP) Bukuya County said there are over 2000 interns countrywide who are transitioning to become doctors but are currently stranded with pay and deployment.

“The Ministry of Finance should be specific on when they are going to release the money for the interns because at the moment they are not working,” he added.

Last month, Police in Wandegeya dispersed off and arrested three pre-medical interns who were protesting over internship deployment.

Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala metropolitan police deputy spokesperson, confirmed the arrest of the three pre-medical interns who were detained at Wandegeya police station and charged with inciting violence.

The arrest came at the backdrop of an on-going week-long campaign on social media dubbed #UgandaHealthExhibition which was aimed at projecting critical issues in Uganda’s health sector.

Uganda’s health sector has for years been faced with challenges such as lack of equipment, poor funding, poor infrastructure and understaffing among others.

Early this year, for instance, the executive director Butabika National Referral Hospital, Dr. Juliet Nakku, said the hospital had not been supported to handle a high number of mental health cases as the hospital bed capacity was only 550.

The hospital, she added, has 1000 mental health illness patients admitted despite having a smaller bed capacity.

“There have to be interventions regarding the ever-increasing cases of mental illness patients. Butabika hasn’t been supported to handle high numbers. The hospital only has a bed capacity of 550 beds which is not enough,” she told this reporter.

She said in every 10 people, 4 of them are suffering from depression, and this is a source of suffering from mental health-related diseases.