ISS outreach Sub-Saharan Africa insight: Uganda 2011

Abstract

IntroductionUganda has a vibrant radiology organization and this wasexplored with the result of an outreach effort being directedto Uganda. An outreach activity was organized in collabo-ration with the Association of Radiologists of Uganda(ARU) at the campus of Makerere University School ofMedicine from 8–10 September 2011.Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa withKenya on its eastern border, the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo to the west, Southern Sudan to the north, Rwandato the southwest, and Tanzania to the south. Lake Victoria,which is also shared by Kenya and Tanzania, lies to thesouth. Uganda with a population of 36 million is multi-tribalincluding the Baganda (16.9%), Banyakole (9.5%), Basoga(8.4%), Bakiga (6.9%), Iteso (6.4%), Langi (6.1%), Acholi(4.7%), Bagisu (4.6%), Lugbara (4.2%), Bunyoro (2.7%),and others (29.6%) [1].Uganda has a literacy rate of about 74%. The averageexpenditure on health is 8.2% of the GDP and per capitaincome is $1,317 [1, 2]. The physician density is about 0.12per 1,000 and the hospital bed density is 0.4 per 1,000.Infant mortality rate is 63 per 1,000. The average life ex-pectancy is 53.45 years (52.4 men and 54.54 female) [1].Medical educationThere are five medical schools in Uganda; namely, Makerereuniversity in the capital city Kampala, Mbarara university inthe western region, Gulu university in the northern region,Busitema university in the central region, Kampala interna-tional university, Kampala in the central region and anothercampus in the western region and Nsambya in the centralregion. The first three are government owned while the othertwo are private. Medical school training is modeled after theBritish system where medical school is 5 years of trainingafterhighschool.Graduationisfollowedby1yearofrotatinginternshipinthecoreclinicaldisciplinesofmedicine,surgery,obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatric. Postgraduate train-ing in radiology comprises 3 years of training leading up to amasters degree in radiology. Makerere and Mbarara NationalReferralandTeachinguniversitiesaretheonlyonesofferingamaster of medicine degree in diagnostic radiology.Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology takes 3 years.The training modes include lectures, tutorials, practicals,course work, research and assessment. The assessment entailsoral, practical and theory examinations. The course units areRadiological Physics, Photography, Radiological Anatomy,Special Radiological Techniques, Clinical Radiology, ClinicalCase Description, Nuclear Medicine and Radio-oncology,Interventional Radiology, Obstetric and Gynecology, SmallParts and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Teleradiology andComputer Science, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, HealthSystem Management and Research Methodology. VirtuallyalltheradiologistsinUgandatrainedlocally,withafewhavingelectives in Germany and Macmaster University in Canada.The government subsidizes health care by providing freehealth facilities for the population at the government ownedhospitals and clinic, but these are grossly inadequate. Largesegments of the population have to provide their own healthcare. The ratio of individual expenditure on health to