But that in May 2024, the inter-ministerial committee on education and health, sat without involvement of UNMU and other stakeholders, and resolved to waive internships for diploma extensors.
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives’ Union (UNMU), the umbrella labour union bringing together nurses and midwives, has resolved to mobilize their members if, in ninety days, their demands revolving around internship waiver, discrimination in decision making and absence of promotion arrangement, are not met.
Members of the UNMU apex body reached their resolution on August 1, 2025 at their sitting at Kaloni Hotel Seeta in Mukono Municipality, during which they officially informed the permanent secretaries of the ministries of health and of public service that they will start industrial action to protest what they consider discrimination of nurses and midwives from internship, decision making positions in management and non-promotion.
Addressing journalists on the matter, UNMU president, Cherop Justus Kiplangat laid down their demands including suspension of the internship exemption for graduate nurses and midwives declared by an inter-ministerial committee on education and health in May 2024, initiating a special dialogue between the nurses’ union, government and other stakeholders on a permanent solution, and demand for automatic promotion of nurses and midwives upon graduation.
Other demands by the nurses and midwives include allowing them access in decision making positions, full implementation of the new scheme of service, and immediate identification of solutions where gaps show up.
“If our demands are not met with immediate effect, we shall be left with no option but to lay down our tools and engage with our members in a sit-down strike,” Kiplangat told journalists.
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Giving a preamble, he said that since 1999, the policy has been that graduates, direct or diploma upgraders must complete a one-year supervised internship at accredited hospitals before permanent registration and licensure to practice.
But that in May 2024, the inter-ministerial committee on education and health, sat without involvement of UNMU and other stakeholders, and resolved to waive internships for diploma extensors.
The ministry of Health went ahead with the waiver and in 2025 June, directed UNMC to exempt upgraders from internships.
Continuing to explain their ordeal, he said, “We wish also to note that even the graduating nurses and midwives remain unpromoted; it is common to find a nurse who finished ten years back but still serving at the same enrolment level as before she attained the degree. This is saddening and demoralizing to our members because it is not the case with other professions”.
Kiplangat was echoed by his vice, Mike Mugabo who noted that demoralizing policy is only in practice in Uganda and not in other neighbouring countries and the rest of the world.
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“A nurse or midwife without internship training cannot get a certificate, meaning that he cannot seek jobs outside Uganda, and since the government can presently employ only 20,000 out of the close to 70,000 nurses and midwives in the country, what is the fate of the rest?” he inquired.
Asked what could be the criterion used by government to waive nurses and midwives’ internships, Mugabo opined that there is a tendency by some to claim that internships for this category of people is very expensive, and advised thus, “internship is a necessity and not a privilege; it is a question of life and if people especially in remote areas are not healthy, there will be no work force for the mushrooming industries ”.
He added that the painful thing is that this arrangement only falls in the nurses and midwives’ category and not in other sections of the health sector. Mugabo therefore concluded by saying that they will invite their colleagues in the health sector to liaise and give them support because they have the same cause of preserving and promoting life.