Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng has called on health institutions to prioritise patient care over profit, warning that increasing commercialisation risks undermining service delivery across the country.
Aceng made the remarks during the launch of the Fourth National Health Professionals’ Education, Training and Health Care Policy in Jinja, a three-day event bringing together policymakers, educators, and medical practitioners.
The event, organised by the Ministry of Education and Sports’ Department of Health Education and Training, is focused on bridging the gap between classroom instruction and the practical demands of Uganda’s healthcare system.
This year’s theme, “Aligning Health Professionals' Education and Training with Health System Needs for Sustainable and Responsive Health Services Delivery,” reflects a broader push to modernise medical training and improve service outcomes.
Aceng said the challenge facing Uganda’s health sector goes beyond staffing numbers, pointing to systemic weaknesses including outdated curricula, inconsistent training standards, limited specialised trainers, and weak internship management.
“We must ensure that health institutions focus on patient care rather than profit if we are to deliver quality services to Ugandans,” she said.
The newly launched policy outlines a comprehensive framework to reform how doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals are trained, deployed, and supported. It aims to build “a competitive health workforce for a healthy and productive population.”
According to Safina Museene, Commissioner for Health Education and Training at the Ministry of Education, the initiative responds to a widening gap between Uganda’s health ambitions and the workforce needed to deliver them.
“This serves as a vital bridge between theory and practice,” she said, noting that the event includes skills competitions in nursing, midwifery, clinical medicine, and laboratory practice to showcase student competencies.
Uganda continues to face a significant shortage of health workers. The World Health Organization recommends at least 4.45 skilled health workers per 1,000 people to achieve universal health coverage.
However, Uganda’s workforce remains far below this threshold, with doctor-to-patient ratios estimated at about 1 to 25,000—far from the recommended 1 to 1,000.
The shortages have translated into long waiting times, overworked staff, and strained health facilities, particularly in public hospitals.
The new policy introduces reforms beyond traditional training, including integration of artificial intelligence into medical education, regulation of biomedical training materials, and structured oversight of traditional and complementary medicine practitioners.
In a speech delivered by State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysestom Muyingo on behalf of Janet Kataaha Museveni, government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the health system through improved training and collaboration among stakeholders.
Other officials present included Kedrace Turyagyenda and Charles Olaro, alongside various health and education experts.
Stakeholders expect the three-day engagement to generate actionable recommendations to ensure that graduates at all levels—from certificate to PhD—are equipped with practical, life-saving skills suited to an evolving healthcare landscape.
Aceng pledged continued government support for the policy, expressing optimism that it will strengthen service delivery and improve health outcomes nationwide.
