First Things First

Watch this space for an exciting new development in university education in Uganda. The current situation in the country, and indeed in many countries south of the Sahara, is dreadful. Since doctors are paid a pittance for long hours of work under mostly poor conditions, many migrate to greener pastures with higher salaries. Uganda has 1 doctor to 120,000 people. And even then, distribution of (and access to) medical services and personnel is inadequate. The backgound to this situation is complex but one thing is sure: if medical personnel are trained in the context of the Ugandan situation, then we might be able to persuade more to stay in the country. To this end, we are working towards the creation of a new medical training facility in the country, a facility that will be able to prepare health services personnel to work in Uganda itself. I will update you next week.