Uganda runs short of nurses

By Jeff Andrew Lule

The shortage of public health nurses has led to the increasing burden of diseases and high maternal mortality rate in the country.

While speaking at the second graduation of the Public Health Nurses’ College at Kyambogo on Friday, the registrar of Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council in the Ministry of Health, John Wakida, said the country has 250 public health nurses to cater for 34 million people.

At least 122 nurses were awarded diplomas in public health nursing, community health, nursing and midwifery. Out of these only 69 were awarded a diploma in public health nursing.

“The ever increasing burden of disease in the country is largely due to communicable diseases accounting for 54% and this can be controlled if we have public health nurses. The 250 were recruited for the population of 12 million people at a time, but the population has nearly tripled,” he said.