Uganda Government Reverses Stance, Grants Shs1 Million Monthly Allowance to All Medical Interns

In a major policy U-turn, the Ugandan government has dropped controversial plans to scrap financial facilitation for certain medical trainees, guaranteeing instead that every member of the current internship cohort will receive a net monthly allowance of Shs1 million.

The announcement was delivered to Parliament on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, by the Minister of Health, Hon. Chris Baryomunsi. The decision follows weeks of intense public debate, media scrutiny, and industrial action by healthcare interns who strongly opposed measures outlined in the National Education and Training for Health Policy.

“Cabinet recommended that we suspend that provision on facilitation and pay them as it has been. The current cohort of interns will all receive a net pay of Shs1 million,” Hon. Baryomunsi told the House. He explained that prior plans sought to differentiate between students who had received government sponsorship during their university studies and those who were privately sponsored, a distinction that caused widespread anxiety among trainees. Under the contested framework, only government-sponsored interns would have continued receiving full financial support, while privately sponsored peers would have been limited to meal allowances.

To accommodate the workforce, the government has expanded the national network of internship centres to 77, successfully deploying 2,490 medical interns—including doctors, pharmacists, dentists, graduate nurses, and midwives. In addition to securing their pay, the Minister noted that the government is actively engaging relevant state agencies to secure the release of medical interns who were detained during recent demonstrations against the initial policy changes.

Furthermore, the Ministry has shelved a proposal that would have mandated medical students to complete their internships prior to graduation. Under the restored arrangement, students will graduate upon fulfilling academic requirements, keeping practical internships as a separate prerequisite for formal professional licensing.

Cabinet has tasked Hon. Baryomunsi with conducting a comprehensive review of the policy to address broader structural human-resource hurdles within Uganda’s healthcare system. This review is expected to examine optimal training volumes for health professionals, pathways for absorbing them into the public service, and sustainable remuneration structures.

While lawmakers welcomed the executive’s climbdown, leaders across the political aisle emphasized that deeper reforms remain necessary. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, argued that the Shs1 million stipend has lost purchasing power due to inflation and called for a long-term financial commitment. “At least government has acknowledged that interns are medical doctors who need to be facilitated. This particular rescinding is for this cohort meaning I will be back here complaining; we need to continue to facilitate these people. Let us have a discussion about facilitating these people,” Mr. Ssenyonyi remarked.

Hon. Julius Rude, Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Health, echoed these sentiments, advocating for permanent budgetary allocations for internship facilitation alongside safe, accessible housing near deployment hospitals. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa criticized the executive’s communication strategy, reminding ministers of the importance of formally briefing Parliament on high-stakes policy shifts rather than leaving lawmakers to discover critical changes through media reports.