The ministry of health and the Parliamentary Committee on health are yet to agree on the new policy of subjecting intern doctors to per-internship examinations.
The policy comes into force following a demonstration by intern doctors over government’s new proposal to reduce their numbers and scrap the payment of those who studied on private sponsorship.
Appearing before the committee chaired by Bukuya constituency MP, Dr. Michael Bukenya, Minister of health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said her ministry wants new policy implemented so as to ensure quality standards in the medical profession.
But some MPs on the committee including; Gaffa Mbwatekamwa of Kasambya and Joy Atim Ongom of Lira district insist that because the graduands were not notified about it earlier, they did not prepare for that examination.
They instead want the examination to be given to those who will come after this year’s lot, expressing fears that much as the policy is good, to implement it this particular year is unfair to the intern doctors who are due for a full year practice in hospitals.
The minister vowed that the policy will have to be implemented this September before deployment of the intern doctors in October this year adding that they have challenges in training interns and at the end of the day they are just passed forgetting that they are fully in charge of our health.
