This Monday, December 29, medical students will carry out simultaneous sit-ins in at least 17 cities in the country to demand that the National Government allocate resources to guarantee payment to interns who are in the last year of their degree, known as mandatory internship.

The mobilizations were called by students and recently graduated doctors, who demand that what was approved within the labor reform be fulfilled, where it was established that medical interns must receive remuneration equivalent to a current legal monthly minimum wage for their work in hospitals and clinics in the country.

Andrés Salcedo, a doctor and one of the promoters of the demonstrations, explained that the inmates work long hours of up to 12 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, without currently receiving financial compensation.

In addition, he noted that these students must assume high costs of tuition, transportation, food and housing during their clinical practice.

Also read: The desperation of Boca Juniors to sell that Nacional is ‘bad pay’ to give Marino Hinestroza

According to Salcedo, although the rule has already been approved, authorization from the Ministry of Finance is still needed so that the Ministry of Health can allocate the necessary resources from its own budget. He warned that such approval must be made before December 31, 2025, otherwise the payment could be delayed for the next year.

The students insist that what was approved in the law must materialize and not remain only on paper. For this reason, the sit-ins seek to pressure the Government to guarantee financing and issue the corresponding regulations.

The concentration points include cities such as Bogotá (Ministry of Health), Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, Pereira, Pasto, Villavicencio, Manizales, Neiva, Santa Marta, Valledupar, Sincelejo, Ibagué and Popayán, among others.

In the midst of the protests, the Ministry of Health reiterated that starting in 2026 the monthly payment will be made to more than 8,000 inmates, with resources that would exceed $200 billion pesos, intended to cover the minimum wage and affiliation to the health system. However, the students maintain their call until the budget allocation is officially guaranteed.

More news from Colombia