The case against eight medical interns accused of taking part in a protest over their working conditions has been adjourned to October 30, with the defence urging the Ministry of Health to withdraw the charges.
Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko adjourned the proceedings after the complainant failed to appear in court. The accused were, however, continued on bail.
The defence asked the Ministry of Health to withdraw the case, arguing that the interns should be allowed to concentrate on their medical duties rather than continue with court proceedings.
Uganda Medical Association president Prof Frank Asiimwe criticised the prosecution, saying the case had been poorly conceived from the outset.
“It was shambolic from the beginning, dead on arrival and just suffering from their shenanigans. We are very disappointed,” Asiimwe said.
Lead defence lawyer Jenny Namaganda also urged the Ministry to withdraw the matter, saying the interns needed to return their full attention to work in hospitals.
“We just need court to dismiss this matter so that doctors stay focused and do their work,” Namaganda said.
The case stems from a wider dispute between medical interns and the Ministry of Health over allowances and working conditions.
In August, the eight interns were arrested and remanded following a protest in Kampala over delayed or uncertain payment of their allowances. They were later granted bail by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The Uganda Medical Association subsequently criticised the arrests and called for the interns’ release, while the dispute continued over the terms under which the interns were expected to undertake their clinical training.
The interns have also raised concerns about their working conditions and facilitation. Segonga Silver, president of the interns, told court that they remained unclear about how they would be facilitated months after reporting for duty.
“The current circumstances in which we labour are very unfavourable. We reported on 24 August but up to now we are still not aware of how we are going to be facilitated,” Segonga said.
The matter, filed under case number 595, will return to court on October 30.