Nursing Students Decry Beating And Harassment During Internship At Health Centers And Hospitals
Medical students in the nursing and midwifery have reported actions of harassment and beating at medical centres while doing their internship.
These accuse their seniors and supervisors of mistreating them during work hours.
These students reported to Birungi Harriet Nsamba, the Senior Principle officer, TVET in the Ministry of Education.
Birungi has been officiating at the closure of a three-day academic Theory and practical national seminar that saw over 1,000 students from 50 nursing schools in Uganda participate.
A section of Students of Nursing and Midwifery, under their Umbrella Association, Uganda National Association of Students for Nurses and Midwifery (UNASNM) has expressed concern over continued harassment and beating of their supervisors during their deployment for internship and fieldwork at various health centres and hospitals in Uganda.
The President of the association Moses Baguma, says many student nurses including him were beaten and harshly treated by their supervisors during their internship.
This he says has since instilled fear among students and is likely to tarnish their profession.
These students were speaking at the closure of a three-day seminar that attracted over 1000. Over 50 nursing institutions across the country participated.
The nursing students also want the government to regulate the fees charged by the institutions
these days apart from fees levied by institutions, things like internship fees, and practical fees among others are increasingly making the course unattainable.
Birungi Harriet Nsamba, the Senior Principle officer of Technical industrial, Vocation and entrepreneurship training, TIVET program in the Ministry of Education& Sports graced the closure of the seminar on behalf of the Commissioner of Health Education and Training Dr Safina Musene.
She challenged the medical students on ethical matters urging them not to revenge or take unnecessary action.
Medical students especially in a government hospital have on several occasions taken to the streets demanding for government to deploy them.
The principal of St. Ambrose Institute of health sciences Masereka Emelio, an institute that hosted the seminar asked the government to recruit more medical workers, open up medical schools and fund private nursing schools as they supplement government programs of training medical personnel.
Some of the nursing schools which participated were drawn from Kampala, Fort Portal, Hoima, Soroti, Mbarara, Jinja, Masindi, Mbale, and Mubende among others.
The national theory and practical nurses seminar which was punctuated with blood donations and a series of entertainments was under the Theme: Academic excellency and professionalism is our priority, Love and serve’’.
