The Minister for Health, Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng, has disclosed that the government needs Shs80.4 billion to deploy pre-medical interns.
Speaking at a sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Among on 22 June 2023, Aceng contradicted her counterpart, State Minister for Finance Hon. Henry Musasizi, who had earlier announced the release of Shs22.9 billion for the same purpose.
Aceng clarified that the funds released were for payment of arrears for the 935 interns who completed their internship in April and not for the deployment of the remaining 1,901 interns.
The Speaker urged the government to pay the interns as part of their budgeted expenses for the 2022/2023 financial year.
She also expressed concern about blood shortages in the country, saying that people were at risk of losing their lives due to lack of access to blood transfusion.
Legislators blamed the Ministry of Health for failing to mobilize citizens for blood donation, while the minister assured them that there is still blood in the blood banks despite the challenges in collecting sufficient amounts.
