Omaswa a man of many ‘firsts’
One word describes Prof. Francis Omaswa; pioneer. This 65-year-old surgeon has a long CV filled with firsts. The one he presented in 2004, when he offered himself for the position of World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, was nine pages long.
If you want to see Omaswa on the dance floor, play African music, especially Ateso tunes like Ajosi, Arigirigi and Emidiri
By Ben Okiror
One word describes Prof. Francis Omaswa; pioneer. This 65-year-old surgeon has a long CV filled with firsts. The one he presented in 2004, when he offered himself for the position of World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, was nine pages long.
Is Omaswa’s inclination to break new ground due to the fact that he is a first born?
His latest addition to the long list of first projects is the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation. An independent think-tank, this centre analyses how global policies on health affect Africa and how Africa can work with the international community to promote the health of her people.
The centre, of which Omaswa is the executive director, will have an advisory panel of 11 global health professionals.
“It is already operational but I still have a lot of work to do. For the time being, I will be working from home.†The centre will first act as a policy research institute drawing lessons from successful countries and recommending them to policy makers in Africa.
“We shall help ministers of health to manage their work better and carry out a needs assessment of African institutions of higher learning to find out how they can improve the quality of their graduates and programmes.â€
Omaswa retired on May 31 as the first executive director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). He was based in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I went there in May 2005 to set it up. I started alone but by the time I left, I had recruited 30 people, established the constitution, terms of reference, and mobilised resources for it.â€
Omaswa convened the first GHWA forum on health worker’s crisis in March, at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo. Its outcome was the Kampala Declaration, recently recognised by the G8 summit in Japan as important in guiding the response to the crisis.
Omaswa was born in Mukura, Kumi district, to the late Yafesi Ijookit and Matilda Acom, who was the second wife. He went to Mukura Primary School, which had only four classes so he joined Koloin Primary School where he was among the first group to sit for Primary Leaving Examinations. He then went to Holy Angels Junior Secondary School, Madera in Soroti district for Junior One and Two. He joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi for both O’ and A’levels before he was admitted to Makerere University for Human Medicine. He qualified in 1969.
He was appointed medical officer at the Ministry of Health in 1970 where he worked until he left for the UK in September 1974 after obtaining a Masters degree. He then went for training in cardio-thoracic surgery. He eventually became the senior registrar, cardio-thoracic surgery at the National Health Service in the UK.
Omaswa accepted an invitation in 1979 by the Kenyan government to lead an open-heart surgery programme. He became head of cardio-thoracic surgery at the Kenyatta National Hospital and the University of Nairobi.
He then coordinated an experiment sponsored by the Association of Surgeons of East Africa to test effective mechanisms of delivering health services in an African rural setting. He later joined Ngora Freda Carr Hospital as the coordinator of the project on cost-effective rural surgery and was the medical superintendent from 1983-1986.
His journey back to urban centres began in 1987 when he was invited to establish the Uganda Heart Institute and the Uganda Heart Foundation. Until 1992, he was Professor of Surgery at Makerere University and the director of the Uganda Heart Institute. He was promoted to chief government surgeon and head of the Quality Assurance Programme that he established at the Ministry of Health.
In collaboration with USAID, he established the Regional Centre for Quality Assurance of Health Care at Makerere University. Omaswa also implemented the programme for the decentralisation of health services.
In April 1999, he became the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, a position he held until 2005 when the WHO director general, Dr. Margaret Chan invited him to set up the GHWA.
Omaswa believes that: “If you’re doing something, do it in the best way possible.â€
He reads inspirational and classical books like the Bible. He markedly remembers Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, a book he bought from Uganda Bookshop after his A’level.
With a Kenyan colleague, he founded the African Centre for Change and Development, an organisation of successful Africans worldwide to support each other in contributing to the development of their places of birth.
The LCI chairman in his village, Christopher Ojilong, says Omaswa has paid school fees for more than 15 children in the area, eight of whom have reached university.
One of the local leaders in Ngora, where Omaswa has another home, credits him for the operation theatre at Ngora Freda Carr Hospital. Martin Adupa said Omaswa also built an airfield next to the hospital and reconstructed a health centre and a Coventry.
Omaswa has been the chairman of the University Council, Teso University, since 2000. Although the university has not yet taken off, he has been pushing for its commencement. He is also the founder chairman and trustee of Vision Teso Rural Development Organisation which was started 1983.
To get Omaswa to do a few strokes on the dance floor, play African rhythms, especially Ateso tunes like Ajosi, Arigirigi and Emidiri. As for the way to his heart, read his favourite meal, his wife knows that the winning formula is Atap and Eboo.
When he is not preoccupied with professional activities, Omaswa hangs out with colleagues in the various social clubs to which he belongs. He also visits the gym regularly.
Omaswa feels indebted to millions who die of preventable diseases.
“We watch children and pregnant women dying of preventable diseases and we say ‘God has called them.’†he said. “It’s we who have let them down. Africa can achieve the Millennium Development Goals with little resources and we can stop death in large numbers.â€
He says his anaesthesiologist wife, Dr. Catherine Nyapidi Omaswa has been instrumental in the complicated surgeries he performed.
By Ben Okiror
One word describes Prof. Francis Omaswa; pioneer. This 65-year-old surgeon has a long CV filled with firsts. The one he presented in 2004, when he offered himself for the position of World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, was nine pages long.
Is Omaswa’s inclination to break new ground due to the fact that he is a first born?
His latest addition to the long list of first projects is the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation. An independent think-tank, this centre analyses how global policies on health affect Africa and how Africa can work with the international community to promote the health of her people.
The centre, of which Omaswa is the executive director, will have an advisory panel of 11 global health professionals.
“It is already operational but I still have a lot of work to do. For the time being, I will be working from home.†The centre will first act as a policy research institute drawing lessons from successful countries and recommending them to policy makers in Africa.
“We shall help ministers of health to manage their work better and carry out a needs assessment of African institutions of higher learning to find out how they can improve the quality of their graduates and programmes.â€
Omaswa retired on May 31 as the first executive director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). He was based in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I went there in May 2005 to set it up. I started alone but by the time I left, I had recruited 30 people, established the constitution, terms of reference, and mobilised resources for it.â€
Omaswa convened the first GHWA forum on health worker’s crisis in March, at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo. Its outcome was the Kampala Declaration, recently recognised by the G8 summit in Japan as important in guiding the response to the crisis.
Omaswa was born in Mukura, Kumi district, to the late Yafesi Ijookit and Matilda Acom, who was the second wife. He went to Mukura Primary School, which had only four classes so he joined Koloin Primary School where he was among the first group to sit for Primary Leaving Examinations. He then went to Holy Angels Junior Secondary School, Madera in Soroti district for Junior One and Two. He joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi for both O’ and A’levels before he was admitted to Makerere University for Human Medicine. He qualified in 1969.
He was appointed medical officer at the Ministry of Health in 1970 where he worked until he left for the UK in September 1974 after obtaining a Masters degree. He then went for training in cardio-thoracic surgery. He eventually became the senior registrar, cardio-thoracic surgery at the National Health Service in the UK.
Omaswa accepted an invitation in 1979 by the Kenyan government to lead an open-heart surgery programme. He became head of cardio-thoracic surgery at the Kenyatta National Hospital and the University of Nairobi.
He then coordinated an experiment sponsored by the Association of Surgeons of East Africa to test effective mechanisms of delivering health services in an African rural setting. He later joined Ngora Freda Carr Hospital as the coordinator of the project on cost-effective rural surgery and was the medical superintendent from 1983-1986.
His journey back to urban centres began in 1987 when he was invited to establish the Uganda Heart Institute and the Uganda Heart Foundation. Until 1992, he was Professor of Surgery at Makerere University and the director of the Uganda Heart Institute. He was promoted to chief government surgeon and head of the Quality Assurance Programme that he established at the Ministry of Health.
In collaboration with USAID, he established the Regional Centre for Quality Assurance of Health Care at Makerere University. Omaswa also implemented the programme for the decentralisation of health services.
In April 1999, he became the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, a position he held until 2005 when the WHO director general, Dr. Margaret Chan invited him to set up the GHWA.
Omaswa believes that: “If you’re doing something, do it in the best way possible.â€
He reads inspirational and classical books like the Bible. He markedly remembers Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, a book he bought from Uganda Bookshop after his A’level.
With a Kenyan colleague, he founded the African Centre for Change and Development, an organisation of successful Africans worldwide to support each other in contributing to the development of their places of birth.
The LCI chairman in his village, Christopher Ojilong, says Omaswa has paid school fees for more than 15 children in the area, eight of whom have reached university.
One of the local leaders in Ngora, where Omaswa has another home, credits him for the operation theatre at Ngora Freda Carr Hospital. Martin Adupa said Omaswa also built an airfield next to the hospital and reconstructed a health centre and a Coventry.
Omaswa has been the chairman of the University Council, Teso University, since 2000. Although the university has not yet taken off, he has been pushing for its commencement. He is also the founder chairman and trustee of Vision Teso Rural Development Organisation which was started 1983.
To get Omaswa to do a few strokes on the dance floor, play African rhythms, especially Ateso tunes like Ajosi, Arigirigi and Emidiri. As for the way to his heart, read his favourite meal, his wife knows that the winning formula is Atap and Eboo.
When he is not preoccupied with professional activities, Omaswa hangs out with colleagues in the various social clubs to which he belongs. He also visits the gym regularly.
Omaswa feels indebted to millions who die of preventable diseases.
“We watch children and pregnant women dying of preventable diseases and we say ‘God has called them.’†he said. “It’s we who have let them down. Africa can achieve the Millennium Development Goals with little resources and we can stop death in large numbers.â€
He says his anaesthesiologist wife, Dr. Catherine Nyapidi Omaswa has been instrumental in the complicated surgeries he performed.