The opposition Forum for Democratic Change, FDC Party wants, Dr. Henry Mwebesa the Director General Health Services Ministry pof Health to release a letter he wrote to the ministry of health addressing the issues of the intern doctors.
The development follows a letter by Dr. Mwebesa ordering the over 1,403 medical interns who are on industrial strike to leave the hospitals where they have been working.
The interns working in 42 hospitals enacted an industrial action due to meager payments and pitiable working conditions.
Now, John Kikonyogo the FDC deputy spokesperson says that the party believes that the sacking of medical interns by DR. Mwebesa is illegal and unconstitutional because no Ugandan should be punished for protesting for what is due to him or her.
While addressing the press at Najjanankumbi on Monday, Kikonyogo said that they want to see a letter written by Mwebesa to the ministry of finance asking them to release the funds that were promised to them as per the directive of President Museveni.
“Let him show us the letter to he wrote to the president informing him that the money he directed to be released has not been released. Then we can say that everything has been done within his powers to fulfill the agreement with interns and it’s the interns that have not been patient” said Kikonyogo.
He urged all Ugandans to join the medical interns and the entire medical fraternity in fighting for the health services because the net loser is a Ugandan who is demanding for services from government.
He also noted that the government should stop the use of intimidation towards its own workers, who are rightly demanding what has been promised to them.
Kikonyogo further argued that statistics show that 80 percent of patients in the hospitals are assisted by medical interns, that is to say graduate nurses, pharmacists and dental surgeons.
The interns under the Federation for Uganda Medical Interns (FUMI) are demanding a monthly wage hike from Shs750,000 to Shs3 million for doctors and pharmacists and graduate nurses from Shs750,000 to Shs2.2 million respectively.
After a meeting with the president, he directed that they should be paid 2.5 million per month which promise the ministry of finance has not fulfilled up to now.
The promise to provide them with Personal protective equipment (PPE) has not been fulfilled up either.