4th August, 2009
For more than 30 years, Uganda’s sole Public Health Nursing College has been without a home, setting up base in rented quarters as it trained this important cadre of health workers. This state of affairs changed on June 30, 2009, however, when AMREF commissioned and handed over several buildings to the school.
With financial support from Irish Aid, AMREF built and furnished two classrooms, a practical room, a dining hall and kitchen, an administration block, a library and a computer room. In addition, the college received a 30-seater bus, five computers and four microscopes. The increased capacity means that the college will now be able to admit 30 students every year, up from 15. AMREF’s diploma course in Community Health will also be taught at the college, increasing the intake by another 30 students.
At the handing-over ceremony of the new buildings, AMREF’s Country Director in Uganda, Joshua Kyallo, reiterated AMREF’s commitment towards closing the gap in health systems.
“At AMREF, we place great emphasis on health promotion and prevention of disease as a priority intervention to improving the health of communities,” Kyallo said. “It is unfortunate, for instance, that health units in Uganda continue to register hundreds of premature deaths from preventable diseases. We envisage that with a course in Community Health, this country will produce health workers with competencies to meet the needs of the communities by providing essential health promotion and disease prevention services.”
Strengthening the infrastructure and services of the Public Health College will boost the country’s health service system in view of the dire shortage of health workers, particularly in rural and post-conflict areas in northern and north-eastern Uganda.
“Only 12 of the 80 districts in Uganda have achieved the recommended staffing level of 80 per cent,” Kyallo said. “This is the reason we are here today as partners – so that we can change these statistics. Through training, we want to see the health system’s capacity to provide primary health care increased.”
The principal of the college, Christine Akello, thanked AMREF and the Irish Government for their role in boosting the production of public health personnel in the country.
