KIU Medical Student Ronald Frank Ocero Represents Lango at National Youth Parliament, Advocates for Medical Interns

KIU, Western Campus — Ronald Frank Ocero, a fifth-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery student at Kampala International University (KIU), represented the Lango Sub-region at the 2nd sitting of the 8th National Youth Parliament held on Friday, August 7th, 2026, at the Parliament of Uganda. He used the platform to advocate for equitable support for medical interns across the country.

The National Youth Parliament brings together young people from across Uganda to deliberate on issues affecting the country’s youth and make recommendations on matters of national importance. The initiative is supported by the Faraja Africa Foundation, the Parliament of Uganda and diplomatic missions in Uganda, including the European Union and the Embassy of Sweden.

Representing Northern Uganda, specifically the Lango Sub-region, Ocero raised concerns about the plight of medical interns, particularly the Government’s decision to pay allowances to government-sponsored interns while excluding privately sponsored medical students. “I am a medical student and I am in my fifth year, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. So it would only be fit for me to represent my people in the House today,” Ocero said.

He challenged the rationale behind the distinction between government-sponsored and privately sponsored medical interns, arguing that being privately sponsored does not necessarily mean that a student has the financial capacity to meet the costs associated with medical training. “It is a misconception that privately sponsored students in medical school actually have money. Most of us are on loan schemes and scholarships such as the State House scholarship. Our parents are really pushed to the wall when it comes to finances of handling medical students,” he noted.

Ocero called on the Government to review the policy and ensure that medical interns are treated equitably, regardless of how their university education was financed.

His intervention also highlighted Uganda’s shortage of medical personnel, which he presented as an opportunity for the country to invest in the next generation of health professionals rather than a burden.

“I think this is an opportunity to us because our doctor-to-patient ratio right now is 1 to 25,000. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that it should be 1 to 1,000. That is 25 times the WHO-recommended patient load per doctor,” he said.

He urged policymakers to view the growing number of medical graduates as an opportunity to address the country’s health workforce gap. “I want the government to see the number of medical doctors we are producing as an opportunity,” Ocero added.

As part of his proposed solution, Ocero called for the reallocation of resources from government budget lines for donations towards supporting medical interns. He noted that meeting the monthly requirement for intern allowances demands substantial funding and urged the Government to explore alternative sources to fulfil this obligation.

The sitting was held under the broader “Motion for a Resolution of the Uganda National Youth Parliament Urging Government to Enhance Youth Employment through Skills Development and Enterprise Growth,” which provided a platform for young people to raise issues affecting employment, skills development and opportunities for Uganda’s youth.

For KIU, Ocero’s participation represents the University’s contribution to national youth discourse and demonstrates the role of students in engaging with public policy and advocating for solutions to challenges affecting their professions and communities.

By representing the Lango Sub-region, Ocero also brought the voice of Northern Uganda to a national platform while, by extension, representing his fellow KIU students and the University community.

His participation underscores the importance of equipping university students not only with professional knowledge but also with the confidence and civic responsibility to contribute to national conversations and influence issues affecting society.

As a youth advocate and National Youth Parliament delegate, Ocero continues to use his platform to amplify issues affecting young people, with his intervention on medical internships highlighting the need for policies that promote fairness, investment in health professionals and meaningful opportunities for Uganda’s youth.