Uganda Christian University, a Church of Uganda founded institution, will in May next year start a medical school to train health professionals.
Vice Chancellor, Canon John Senyonyi, said the 19-year old private institution will start with about 50 students offering Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and other 20 students offering dentistry.
“We are working towards beginning in May 2017 and students who sat their Senior Six should be able to be admitted,” said Canon Senyonyi at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the university and Mengo Hospital.
The Vice Chancellor pledged the institution’s commitment towards training high quality medical professionals who will uplift Uganda’s health care system.
“For every programme we have endured to offer, the quality is always higher than other institutions. We have been working with a group of doctors to ensure that the programme we start is qualitative,” he said, adding that quality will not be compromised.
Church of Uganda archbishop, Stanley Ntagali, who witnessed the signing of the agreement between the two church founded institutions, said that degrees will be awarded by UCU but the medical school will be based at Mengo Hospital.
“The medical school to train doctors will be run by UCU in partnership with Mengo hospital,” Archbishop Ntagali said.
He added that Mengo Hospital will provide training and internship opportunities to students trained at UCU.
Uganda Christian University was founded when the historic Bishop Tucker Theological College was promoted as a university in 1997 whereas Mengo Hospital is the oldest hospital in Uganda. It was established by Albert Ruskin Cook in 1897. At the beginning, the hospital belonged to the Church Missionary Society.
Reporting by Daily Monitor
