By George Bukenya
The Ministry of Health decry budget cuts something the line Minister say has significantly affected the deployment of Medical interns at all levels.
Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development released to the Ministry of Health a total of UGX 35.66 billion to cater for the medical interns for the financial year 2024/25.
Part of these funds contains arrears and when they are deducted the Ministry remains with only23.4 billion available for deployment of the 2023 interns. A total of 73 interns will not be deployed.
According to Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health, the budget cuts has caused a deficit of UGX 18.813 billion and have force the Ministry to also adjust and reduce on the intake of medical interns.
“Communication from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development directors we to work within the available funds allocated to us and we shouldn’t expect a supplementary budget, “Dr. Aceng lamented.
While addressing Journalists at the Ministry’s Headquarters at Wandegeya Dr Aceng said that only 1,363 cohort out of the 2706 eligible, will be considered this financial year and the other 65 slots will be prioritised and only government sponsored students will be considered and here 164 pharmacists 51, 639 medical doctors and 509 slots will be for Nurses and Midwifery.
The Minister also said that those who completed in 2023 will be considered this year while those who finished University and other tertiary education in 2024 will be taken in 2025.
The Director Health Services, Public Health Dr. Daniel Kyabayinza said that due to the budget inadequacy, the supervisors of interns have been stretched where each currently supervises 5 interns doctors yet the standards require a maximum of 4.
According to the Ministry’s data base, a total of 2,706 medical interns are eligible for development and 743 are master’s degree students who have trained to become specialists.
“We don’t have enough funds to cater for all medical interns even if the strike as many times as they can, there’s nothing much we can do for them’’. She said.
Dr.Aceng also said that her ministry apart from inadequate funding faces a challenge of insufficient training space and facilities as well as limited medical supplies.
She suggested that due to limitation of the availability of data concerning expected health workers completing their first level of education from various institutions, Ministry of education should collect data on students and send it to the Health Ministry to aid proper planning for the
interns.
The annual cost of one intern doctors total to UGX 15.6 million and according to the break dwon, each months an intern is paid an allowance of UGX 1.3 million and the 300, 000 is for tax to enable each to take a lumpsam of one million while the one on masters is also paid similar allowances.