Patients at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital are walking on egg shells and stranded after 26 intern health workers laid down their tools protesting a failure by the Health Ministry to pay their allowances.
The group includes doctors, dental surgeons, pharmacists and graduate nurses. These decided to lay down their tools on Thursday after meetings with the hospital administration to have government pay their allowances for the last four months reached no agreement.
The strike at the hospital forced hundreds of patients to seek treatment in private clinics.
Interns are entitled to a 600,000 shillings pay per Month.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alex Andema, the hospital director scoffed at the interns and threatened them to either return to work or leave the hospital premises.
He promised that consultations were still ongoing with Ministry of Health to ensure that they receive their pay.
