Filling Medical Vacuum

China-Uganda medical training program will help boost the number of specialist doctors

- Gitonga Njeru

Washington Kiwanuka, 22, is heading to China to study medicine in January 2021. The Ugandan student’s childhood dreams have been to become either a pilot or a doctor and he’s now made his choice and decided to take off in a different way, opting to complete a medical degree.

“I want to be a doctor, not for the money, but to help save lives and put a smile on people’s faces. My main concern has been cancer. Cancer is a big problem in Uganda and a big burden on the economy. The despair it leaves behind for relatives [is tragic], as they [often] have to sell [their] properties to pay for medical bills left behind,” said Kiwanuka.

He will be studying oncology in China which normally takes five years to complete. The Chinese system is similar to the American curriculum. It includes two years of classroom study, another two years of actual practice in a hospital environment, and finally one to three years of specialized training in a specific hospital. This depends on the institution of study requirements.

“I want to ultimately become a urologist (surgeons trained in management issues of the genitourinary tract of men). It is a branch of oncology. Many Ugandans seek [specialized cancer treatment] in India and the United Kingdom. I have been accepted at Zhejiang University,” said Kiwanuka.

The university ranks as one of the best medical schools in the world. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, it ranks 94th in the field of medicine out of about 6,000 institutions.

Building up resources