Luwero district has banned intern doctors from handling and administering treatment to patients at health centres without the presence of supervisors.

Every year, Luwero district receives over 200 medical students from different institutions to conduct training at health centre IIIs, IVs, and Luwero hospital. This year, the program resumed on January 2 for both medical students and other interns in local governments.

However, it has emerged that several health workers tend to be absent and leave patients to be attended to by trainees who are not yet experienced. According to the notice dated December 27, 2023, issued by Bernard Okello, Luwero district human resource officer on behalf of the chief administrative officer, the complaint has been received by the administration and the kind of practice is unacceptable.

Okello said that they have also got reports that trainees extort or are being used by senior health workers to extort money from the patients which is illegal. Okello warned that any trainee found handling patients without a supervisor, extorting money, and stealing government drugs would be expelled from the program before he is handed over to the police to face criminal charges.

He also asked the residents to report the trainees involved in the misconduct to the district health officer for immediate action. Dr Innocent Nkonwa, Luwero district health Officer says that the trainees are supposed to abide by medical ethics which they are taught and any who fails to abide by them will be expelled.

“We shall not tolerate any student who is non-compliant to the ethics because this may result in serious cases for example if they misdiagnose the patient. We are always reminding them about the ethics and they should abide by them as medical students” Nkonwa said.

The notice was copied to the LC V chairperson, resident district commissioner, and heads of department. In 2021, Luwero district health department installed fingerprint time and attendance devices across government health centres in a move aimed at fighting rampant absenteeism.

The district also threatened to suspend the salaries for the health workers staff who are found to have absconded from work for over 30 days without notifying their supervisors which breaches sections of Uganda Public Service standing orders. However, to date, absenteeism has persisted in the health centers and now the health workers leave most workers to trainees as they attend to side jobs.