Health

President of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA), Associate Professor Frank Asiimwe Rwabinda, has praised the growth of medical schools in Uganda, noting that for nearly 70 years, Makerere University was the only institution training doctors in the country after medical education began in the institution in 1924.

Behind the quiet walls of student hostels and university corridors, a silent reproductive health crisis is brewing. What is meant to be an emergency solution,  the morning-after pill, is increasingly being misused as a routine contraceptive among university students.

Acquisition of these capabilities is especially critical for nurses and even more so for developing countries like Uganda.  The World Health Organization reports the 27.9 million nurses globally reflects a shortage of 13 million nurses. According to the World Bank, there are 1.6 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Uganda, compared to nearly 12 per 1,000 in the United States. Acquisition of these capabilities is especially critical for nurses and even more so for developing countries like Uganda.  The World Health Organization reports the 27.9 million nurses globally reflects a shortage of 13 million nurses. According to the World Bank, there are 1.6 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Uganda, compared to nearly 12 per 1,000 in the United States. 

While strides have been made in reduction of infant mortality,  prevalence of obstetric fistulas due to inadequate health care continues to be problematic, especially for developing countries and with the diminished number of health care workers since the Covid-19 pandemic. Obstetric fistula, in which there is a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, is an ongoing problem in Uganda because of gaps in timely, high-quality medical care.

Yohana Eyob Ghebrekristos always held the notion that her dream would not become a reality through magic, but rather, by sweat, determination and hard work. Yohana dreams of a career in dental surgery. And she is almost there. She is in year five, the final year of study for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery at Uganda Christian University (UCU).