By KT Reporter
The Ministry of Health has reiterated a call for the establishment of a National Medical and Dental Professional Examinations Board to assess medical and dental students in Uganda, citing the need for standardized training and quality control.
The proposal is included in the ministry’s final position paper submitted to the Education Policy Review Commission, chaired by Amanya Mushega. The commission is now in the final stages of preparing its report, which is anticipated to provide new guidance for the education sector.
“National medical and dental professional examinations board to be created to examine medical doctors in line with the best practice already established by the Uganda nurses and midwifery examinations board,” read the paper signed by Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwine.
Currently, universities in Uganda operate with autonomy under the provisions of the Universities and OtherTertiary Institutions Act, which allows them to develop curricula, assess students, and manage internal quality assurance systems. However, the same is not true for training institutions for nurses and allied health professionals, which are evaluated by independent bodies like UNMEB and the Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board.
The Ministry contends that while universities have the freedom to train and assess learners, the increasing number of medical schools and reports of declining standards have necessitated external oversight.
Speaking during a stakeholder briefing ahead of the UNMEB’s November-December examination series, Dr. Alfred Dwirale, acting commissioner of human resources development and capacity building, emphasized that centralizing medical practice examinations is the most effective way to ensure quality control.
“Universities are numerous, and some are operating independently in terms of the quality and quantity of students they admit and the training they provide,” Dr. Driwale said. “The idea of conducting semester-based examinations through a national body, similar to what UNMEB does, is a good model that should be adopted.”
The idea of a national examination system is not new. Earlier this year, the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) proposed a similar measure during its submissions to the Education Policy Review Commission.
However, universities have resisted such proposals, citing fears that it would undermine their academic freedom. Questions have been raised about the attribution of degrees, with university administrators questioning whether degrees would be awarded by the universities or the proposed examination body.
In response to this resistance, the Ministry of Health suggested alternative measures to improve the quality of medical graduates. Among the proposals is a pre-internship examination to evaluate graduates’ readiness for clinical practice and a pre-registration examination to assess their knowledge and skills before entering the workforce. Such systems, modelled after practices in the United Kingdom, aim to improve patient safety and maintain high standards of healthcare.
While advocating for a national examination system, the Ministry of Health has kept the door open to alternative approaches. One such proposal is the introduction of pre-internship exams to evaluate candidates’ attitudes and knowledge, screening out forgeries, and pre-registration exams to assess practical knowledge, attitudes, and skills. These measures aim to enhance patient safety and uphold the overall quality of healthcare, drawing inspiration from similar practices in the United Kingdom.
The ministry further emphasized the need to harmonize the naming of medical courses offered by universities and health training institutions. It also called for the accreditation of programs by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), with active involvement from both the Ministries of Education and Health as key stakeholders.
“This will ensure that courses align with current national health needs and future trends, facilitating the seamless absorption of the skillsets developed,” the position paper stated.
The ministry has also called for a revision of the minimum entry requirements for medical and dental training programs. It proposed three principal passes in basic sciences for degree programs, two for diploma courses, and one for certificate courses, or science credits at the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) level.
“The determination of admission capacity must go beyond classroom parameters to include the number of patient beds, availability of equipment, and clinical instructors in training hospitals and health centres, as medical education is a practical discipline,” noted Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine.
This recommendation stems from ongoing challenges in accommodating internship placements. Some universities, particularly private institutions, admit large numbers of students, often exceeding the capacity of hospitals to host interns. This has led to struggles in ensuring all students complete their internships on time.
The ministry further acknowledged that one of the most pressing issues in medical training is the lack of sufficient facilities for internships. This has led to a growing backlog of graduates awaiting placements, particularly as some universities admit more students than available hospital spaces can accommodate.
The ministry also addressed concerns about inadequate hands-on clinical experience among medical students, an issue frequently raised by senior professionals.
“The skills for history-taking, physical examinations, forming clinical impressions to guide efficient investigation requests, interpreting results, and treating patients according to Uganda’s clinical guidelines are lacking,” the ministry stated.
To address these gaps, it proposed revising curricula to allocate more time to forward-based and bedside activities, which would contribute significantly to the progressive clinical assessment of students.
The ministry also highlighted the need for additional training facilities and more specialists in hospitals. This would allow for the establishment of more internship centres to accommodate the increasing number of medical interns and address the persistent backlog-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
