Museveni orders correction of Uganda policy tying medical internship to graduation
President Yoweri Museveni has directed that Uganda's policy requiring medical students to complete internship before they can graduate be corrected, in a statement issued after he met medical interns and Uganda Medical Association leaders at State House Entebbe on Friday 9 October 2026, ChimpReports reported on 10 October. "Graduation and housemanship are separate processes, and we should not waste time by mixing the two," the statement said.
The UMA delegation, led by its president Dr Frank Asiimwe, and other professional bodies had opposed linking internship to completion of university training, warning it would delay graduation, raise costs for students and families and blur the roles of universities, training hospitals and regulators. The statement gave no date or mechanism for the change. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi had already told Parliament on 18 August that the proposal was reversed and internship would remain a separate requirement for practice, The Independent reported. On allowances, Museveni said consultations would continue, guided by affordability and sustainability; in August the government confirmed the current cohort of interns would receive a net Shs1 million a month after staying a proposal to suspend facilitation, according to The Independent.
Students at Ugandan medical schools should wait for a formal circular from the Ministry of Health or their university before relying on the directive.
Sources
- chimpreports.com/museveni-orders-correction-of-medical-internship-policy/
- independent.co.ug/all-medical-interns-to-get-shs1-million-allowance/
Written by the TrustMBBS team from the published documents and reports linked above, on 01 Nov 2026. Dates, fees and deadlines change: confirm on the official site before acting. Nothing here is admission advice, and nobody at TrustMBBS can arrange a seat or is paid to.