Intern Doctors into Day Three of Strike

Crisis talks between the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Health, Dr. Assuman Lukwago and striking Intern Doctors have stalled. This as Consultants and senior doctors moved in to attend to patients in casualty and did rounds in the wards.

Sources at the meeting which took place Saturday, intimated to WBS Television that the PS had unsuccessfully sought to assure the Intern Doctors that their internship period will not be extended by a year, and that they will not be forcibly posted upcountry.

Intern doctors countrywide have been on strike for three days now over the issue. Most major hospitals have been hit hard by the country wide strike by Intern doctors which started last friday.

Mulago national referral hospital which also serves as a teaching school for Makerere University school of medicine students has borne the brunt of the Intern doctors strike action.

As a result, Consultant Doctors and other senior colleagues who ordinarily attend to special cases now find themselves in a rather awkward position, having to attend to patients in the Casualty department in addition to doing rounds in the Wards.

Intern doctors are contesting the ministry of health's alleged extension of their internship by one more year and forceful deployment to health center in rural areas upon completing their studies.

Mulago Hospital's Executive Director, Dr Byarugaba Batarane says the strike action by the Intern Doctors is a matter that the Ministry of Health must deal with squarely since government hospitals don't recruit health workers, and neither do they set the period for internship.

Dr. Byarugaba says Interns in some critical areas have however continued to discharge their duties and hopes that the Institution will continue attending to patients.
Sources intimate that the situation is just as bad at three other major hospitals of Rubaga, Mengo and Nsambya.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Intern
• Doctors
• on
• Strike
• Three
• mpeg2video