Uganda should stop exporting medical doctors

By Sylvia Nakalema Ndazima

The government of Uganda has remarkably done a tremendous job in training her citizens, especially at higher institutions of learning.

In some countries like Malaysia, there is a policy for every student who has been sponsored by the Government to work at least for two years before they choose to go and work elsewhere?

However, the reverse is true in Uganda and indeed it partly explains the lack of enough medical doctors in most health centres and hospitals. Two years ago, the Government exported over 100 doctors to Trinidad to help supplement on medical personnel!

Uganda looses a big numbers of trained and competent workers through brain drain and nothing much has been done to control this.

The newly appointed state minister for health, Dr Chris Baryomunsi in one of the recent interview said he will soon move a motion in Parliament to stop exportation of Ugandan doctors such that a law is passed for students sponsored by the Government to first work for their nation.

This is a good move to improve the health although a lot more needs to be done most important is; the government should have a minimum wage for her workers, if we are to reduce brain drain. The countries where this law applies have minimum wage.

More to that, such a move may have a negative impact on the number of students sponsored by the Government where some parents who are able to do may wish to privately sponsor their children to have freedom after training and this obviously has negative impact on the Government.  

Let stakeholders including trade unions, civil society liaise with politicians work together to see to it that a meaningful minimum wage be introduced, if Uganda is reduce on the brain drainage syndrome!

The writer is a lecturer at the Uganda Martyrs University