Following a story we did yesterday, where striking medical interns were told to vacate hospital premises in a period of one week to create room for new interns, having gone 5weeks striking over delayed payment and other pending demands, the ones meant to replace them (pre-interns) have today made it clear that until their predecessors are cleared, they're not applying for intern.
"Right now we have one say, we're not entering intern unless our predecessors have been worked upon. The demands are very clear to every one right now; better welfareand actually the money, the 2.5m the president directed that it's supposed to be on the account." one of the pre-interns was quoted saying.
The Ministry of Health though its Spokesperson Emanuel Ainebyona insist that the period of the striking interns is due and they should be exiting the respective hospital premises to allow the new interns take over. This however is contrary to what the president of the Federation of Uganda Medical Interns Lillian Nabwire says.
"It's very sad that they chose that route to dispose us off but we're not shaken. What Ministry of health should do is adjust and talk to the Ministry of Finance and release the money to the mother ministry. The moment this money is confirmed that it has reached, we will go back to work because all our reasons are justifiable because we've been working in very risky environments." Lilian said.
The Ministry of Health spokesperson Emanuel Ainebyona however laughed at the move by the pre-interns who are standing in solidarity to striking interns yet they have not got internship placements. One would really wonder whether these were the promised better working conditions to the scientists.
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