The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, has challenged the Government to reconsider its decision to suspend the payment of allowances to medical interns.
Mugalu made the call on Sunday while presiding over the ordination and installation service of Deacons, a Priest, and Canons at All Saints’ Cathedral, Kampala.
“You cannot say that you have Shs 158 billion to purchase cars for Members of Parliament and then claim that you do not have Shs 28 billion to pay medical interns allowances, with the excuse that it would crush the economy,” Archbishop Kaziimba said.
He added, “By the way, doctors are rarely in the hospitals. It is the medical interns who are everywhere doing the donkey work.”
Medical interns will stop receiving government allowances starting August 2026. The change, approved by Cabinet in October 2024, means students will now complete their internship before graduating. That extends medical training to six years in total.
Medical leaders led by Dr Frank Asiimwe, the president of the Uganda Medical Association, have rejected that plan, warning that the changes could damage medical training and weaken healthcare services across public hospitals.
Government currently pays medical interns a monthly allowance of Shs2.5 million, raised from Shs1 million in 2021 after a presidential directive.
