Medical interns employed by government have lodged a complaint with the Office of the Labour Commissioner over what they termed as unfair labour practices. 

Seventy-five interns, employed by the ministry of health across the country, have authorised Sikunawa Ndoroma to lodge the dispute on their behalf. 

The dispute has been referred to the Labour Commissioner for arbitration. At the heart of the dispute is the inability of their employer, in this case the ministry of health, to provide them with medical aid cover. They also claim inadequate pay as well as hazardous working conditions.

 “What we are trying to achieve is getting paid for overtime for the work we do like all the other health professionals in the ministry. 

There is no medical aid being offered. One is also forced to work in a very hazardous environment, one is exposed to quite a lot of infectious diseases and there is no medical aid offered,” said Ndoroma. 

The applicants say they have engaged the respondents, including Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, as head of the public service and have escalated the matter, as none of their attempts to resolve it were successful. 

The minister of health Dr Kalumbi Shangula, the ministry’s executive director Ben Nangombe and the Ombudsman Basilius Dyakugha are also listed as respondents. Every intern has to complete a compulsory internship period of two but not longer than three years and need to gain experience in various fields during that time. They claim that they receive a fixed salary but are sometimes required to work more hours than prescribed by law. 

“The applicants are sometimes required to work 12 hour shifts and sometimes even as much as 24 hours without overtime,” they said. They also demand overtime as per section 17 of the Labour Act of 2007, which states, “the employer must pay the employee for every hour of overtime worked at least one and a half times the employees’ hourly basic wage.” According to the interns, they work over 60 hours per week over and above their ordinary hours with no overtime benefits for the excessive and demanding hours they are subjected to. 

Ndoroma said once interns fall sick, then it becomes a problem, as the system they are trying to hold up is not having their best interest at heart. “Government is providing the personal protective equipment (PPE) but people ultimately do fall sick, even with the gear,” said Ndoroma. “The problem here is being exposed to hazardous conditions and not having medical aid which most of the employees in the ministry have. Medical interns are the first responders to almost everything but we don’t have any of those amenities.” 

Ndoroma said before taking legal action, they held a petition online that gained support as it is ongoing, a message was communicated with the health ministry, executive director, prime minister and office of the ombudsman. 

“We received a response but it wasn’t saying much apart from acknowledging receiving the letter and looking into the matter. Nothing has been done and we are still working and reporting for duty,” said Ndoroma. 

Nangombe said late yesterday afternoon the latest information about the grievance has not reached his office but he was certain the Office of the Labour Commissioner will deal with the complaint in line with the provision of the Labour Act. 

“The condition of service or any benefits that may be attached to the position is not determined by the health ministry. It is determined by the public service management department through the Public Service Commission, but I think it should be noted that government has taken a productive step to put in place a specific policy relating to the management of internships in government,” said Nangombe.

 He said the government is trying its level best to accommodate and ensure medical interns from other fields are exposed. Therefore, they need to put in the hours so that they can be proficient doctors at the end of the day. He said parameters have been set for what they may qualify to receive for the duration of the internship, adding that interns should meet the government halfway especially during these difficult times and they should recognise the efforts made by the government.

– psiririka@nepc.com.na