Medical interns arrested for protesting non-deployment 

Police on Monday arrested over 30 medical interns who had attempted to march to parliament in protest against non-deployment by the ministry of Health.

At least 30 internship sites were supposed to have received new interns by April 1 but this has not yet happened due to issues with the training process, which the ministry of Health says is still consulting on. The interns contribute about 70 per cent workforce in government healthcare centres and hospitals.

The interns had planned to march into two separate groups, with one group starting at the National Theater and the other at Mulago to proceed to parliament. At least 20 were arrested from Parliamentary Avenue and later detained at Kampala Central police station.

Others arrested from Mulago were detained at Wandegeya police station. Dr Herbert Luswata, secretary-general of Uganda Medical Association (UMA), said that they had contacted their legal team to find out, which medical interns had been arrested and to process their release on bond.

Dr Frank Asiimwe Rubabinda, president of the Association of Surgeons of Uganda, stated that it is evident that the government cannot handle the growing number of medical interns graduating from the increasing number of medical schools.