Written By | Joshua Nahamya
Intern nurses at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital after orientation
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MBARARA CITY
Following the government’s deployment of 2,490 medical interns across 77 accredited centres, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has oriented 80 nursing students ahead of their three-week clinical placement, which starts Monday.
The students, who are pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), will be deployed to various wards for hands-on practical training.
The hospital serves more than 6.7 million people across the Ankole sub-region and beyond and also serves as the primary teaching hospital for MUST.
Addressing the students during the orientation, Senior Principal Nursing Officer Sr. Juliet Ankunda emphasised that the placement is aligned with the hospital’s role as a major clinical training centre.
“You must uphold medical ethics, infection prevention and control, including strict adherence to the five moments of hand hygiene, and maintain a proper dress code. The uniform serves both for identification and personal protection,” Sr. Ankunda instructed the students.
Interns at MRRH receiving orientation from Sr Juliet Ankunda
The hospital administration also issued a stern warning to health workers who attend to patients without proper uniforms and identification cards. Management said the directive is intended to curb impersonation by individuals who allegedly extort money from patients and tarnish the institution’s image.
The hospital has also strengthened security and installed surveillance cameras to help curb the practice.
“Every staff member must implement and adhere to this directive, which is aimed at maintaining professionalism and respect for patients,” said Dr. Deus Twesigye, Acting Senior Executive Consultant, referring to a recent circular cautioning against extortion and the illegal diversion of patients outside normal hospital procedures.
The orientation comes amid a national debate over the welfare and facilitation of medical interns.
Under previously proposed guidelines, the government had intended to maintain full facilitation for government-sponsored students while capping the monthly allowance for privately sponsored interns at Shs483,334.
The decision sparked protests and led to court appearances involving several medical trainees, who argued that financial support for interns is a critical investment in the national health system rather than a government favour.
After weeks of pressure, parliamentary intervention and threatened industrial action by doctors, the government reversed the decision and reinstated full facilitation. The Ministry of Health subsequently deployed more than 2,400 medical interns for the 2026/27 internship period.
Medical interns are graduates who have completed their professional training and are required to undergo mandatory supervised internship before obtaining licences to practise independently.
