The Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) has proposed a national assessment system for medical students.
UMDPC Chairperson, Professor Joel Okullo, made the call on behalf of the association, suggesting a centralized system under a Medical Examinations Board.
Okullo says this will to ensure consistent standards and test students to make sure they learn what is necessary to become good doctors.
“In medicine, every patient is an examination and the council needs to ensure that the person who is going to handle the patient has the required competencies,” he said
UMDPC is also recommending assessments at various stages and a post-internship assessment for quality control.
This follows concerns about the rise in universities prioritizing profit over standards, leading to proposed audits of qualifications.
UMDPC urges collaboration between education and professional councils for better oversight. They advocate for revamped admission criteria focusing on academic performance, attitude, and equity to produce competent and compassionate doctors.
The council emphasizes the need for regional representation and regulating student intake to align training with societal needs. These proposals they say aim to maintain the quality and relevance of medical education in Uganda.
Both the government and private individuals are establishing training institutions in various parts of the country. However, education should also answer the question of equity, it appears that our focus is solely on geographical locations. The training institutions in Kabale and Gulu, for instance, are filled with students from Kampala.” he said