ULS Demands Action on Demotivated Medical Interns and Stronger Safeguards for Paperless Courts

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) platform has become the stage for two major concerns facing Uganda’s professional sectors: the desperate plight of unpaid medical interns and the Judiciary’s ambitious push toward a fully paperless court system by 1 July 2026.

While strongly supporting the transition to digital justice under Administrative Circular No. 1 of 2026, that was issued by His Lordship the Chief Justice, Dr. Flavian Zeija, on 17 February 2026, the ULS used the forum to amplify urgent calls from health professionals for the government to facilitate and remunerate medical interns, warning that the current; National Education and Training for Health policy is demotivating a critical health workforce.

The Vice President of the Association of Graduate Nurses and Midwives of Uganda, Dr. Patrick Odong, said many graduates are unable to begin their mandatory internships because of the high costs of living while exercising their support duties to health facilities.

“We have students who have graduated (interns) but can’t afford to facilitate themselves in accommodation, transportation, feeding, etc. They are blocked,” he said. “The policy is not well grounded. Interns should be remunerated for the betterment of the government.”

Mr. Onyango Frank, President of the International Pharmacists in Uganda and a current intern, echoed how the policy despite its objective being good, deprives interns financial support causing a huge strain calling for protection of intern to graduate.

“The universities do not graduate students until completion and clearance of the internship, which means more tuition to be paid. Interns should be protected while practicing, at least with a temporary licence from the institutions,” he stated.

Dr. Jacob Muwada

Dr. Jacob Muwada of the Federation of Uganda Medical Interns thanked the ULS for the platform and painted a stark reality: “As interns we can’t offer free services because we need energy to work, which comes from food that is supposed to be bought with money. The government should put a budget for interns because they are demotivated.”

He added that policymakers are out of touch: “They do not come to hospitals; they don’t know what happens there. Interns are into loans.” Dr. Muwada revealed that interns’ allowances are being withheld without consent under the pretext of investigation. “We went to court but got no help. We urge ULS to intervene.”

He described the policy as “unfair, undue, unpatriotic, and unethical.”

Dr. Stephen Lutoti, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda, which oversees over 2,000 registered pharmacies, said the society opposes the policy due to lack of implementation dates and poor consultation.

“Interns are not students because they have degrees,” he emphasised. “We have inadequate tools, shortage of drugs, poor welfare for interns and supervisors, and inadequate quality of facilitators. Internship centres should provide protection. We disagree with this policy and it should be disregarded and suspended until proper consultation.”

Dr. Obuku Ekwaru stressed the need for occupational safety standards, comparing interns to soldiers who require proper gear.

Representatives from Makerere University delivered a firm warning: “Come August, we won’t do internship if nothing changes.”

Dr. Frank Asiimwe making his remarks 

Dr. Frank Asiimwe, President of the Uganda Medical Association, was unequivocal:

“This policy is shambolic and whoever made it — we are coming for you. I was an intern 30 years ago and I know what they go through. An intern is not a student, so they need facilitation.” He noted that medical students already face 14 rigorous assessments during training.

In the same forum held on 4^th June 2026,  the ULS issued its detailed preliminary response to the Judiciary’s paperless transition, welcoming the initiative as aligned with its Radical New Bar Vision 2060 while highlighting critical gaps.

The Society commended the report by PM Digital Law Hub and stressed the need for constitutional safeguards, open justice, hybrid options for complex cases, contingency plans for technical failures, digital inclusion for rural and poor litigants, interoperability with other systems, and robust cybersecurity.

Mr. Asiimwe Anthony, Vice President of the ULS, reaffirmed support for digital innovation to reduce case backlogs but called for stronger protections to ensure the transition does not exclude vulnerable litigants or undermine fairness.

“We commend the bold commitment to ECCMIS as the core platform but highlight critical gaps that must be addressed to safeguard constitutional rights, ensure equitable access, and prevent unintended exclusion or any erosion of the rule of law. Our concerns, drawn from stakeholder experiences, comparative e-justice systems, and best practices” he said

Tonny Galandi, founding partner of Diamond Advocates, and blogger Ambrose Enen added that while the paperless system (Lexis Nexis) is welcome, Uganda is not yet ready due to low internet coverage, language barriers, and the need for local control of data and audit mechanisms.

According to ULS, the convergence of these issues at the ULS event underscores a shared demand: whether in hospitals or courtrooms, major government policies must priorities proper facilitation, consultation, and equity to succeed. Health leaders and legal professionals alike called on authorities to listen before implementation deadlines trigger widespread disruption.