CENTRE FOR LEGAL AID

Teachers' House,
Tel: 0414-200-203,

2nd

Floor, Plot 28/30 Bombo Road, P.O. Box 29285 Kampala

0757-200-204,

0751-240-004,

Email: sharonlegalaid@gmail.com

15 Septem ber 2016

IK/CLA/055/2016
Hon. Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng,
The Minister of Health,
Ministry of Health,

WANDEGEYA.
Dear Honourable Minister,
RE:

NOTICE OF INTENTION

----.
TO SUE

We represent Ms. Emma Amadriyo, Mr. Simon Peter Masera, Mr. Hakim Senkubuge,
Christine Nambi and Ms. Gertrude Ahimbisibwe.

Ms.

Our clients have instructed us to notify you, as we hereby do, that they intend to institute legal
action against the Ministry of Health in the public interest on their own behalf and for the benefit
of 1005 other graduates of accredited universities who, like our clients, are prospective medical
doctors, dental surgeons, pharmacists, nurses and midwives that ought to have been posted by
the National Internship Committee of the Ministry of Health in August 2016 to various
internship/training centers countrywide to commence mandatory supervised practical training.
We understand that on 7 September 2016 you unilaterally, arbitrarily, unfairly, unjustly,
unlawfully and suddenly announced a drastic reversal of the internship policy while appearing
before the Parliamentary Committee on Health to explain why there had been unusual delay in
posting our clients and other graduates in their situation for internship.
Having reviewed the Uganda Medical Internship Guidelines (2016) which you intend to start
implementing on 1 October 2016, it is our considered opinion that the impugned guidelines, and
the processes through which they were made, are not backed by law.
The impugned guidelines were made in a secret and illegal manner. The ministry failed to
undertake prior and adequate consultation of the relevant stakeholders.
In addition, the guidelines contain measures which are, on the face of it, impermissibly vague,
arbitrary, inequitable, retrogressive, unjustifiable, ultra vires, illegal and invalid. They violate or
threaten to violate a bundle of constitutional rights of our clients and/or their respective
universities and tertiary institutions which graduated them contrary to Articles 20(2), 21, 24,
25(2),28, 40(2), 42, 43, 44 and 45 of the Constitution.
The guidelines also violate or threaten to violate a bundle of constitutional rights of patients,
healthcare providers and other beneficiaries of the respondents' internship scheme contrary to
National Objective XIV and Articles 20(2), 21, 22, 40(2), 43 and 45 of the Constitution.
Accordingly, we demand that you SUSPEND the implementation of the Uganda Medical
Internship Guidelines (2016), and MAKE the necessary arrangements to ensure that our clients
and other graduates in their situation are immediately posted to various internship training
centers to receive supervised practical training and paid the same emoluments as the
immediate former interns or better terms.
Yours faithfully,

g~sema

~~RE

adde,Advocate
FO

LEGAL AID