EADB to train 600 medics in cancer management
Aug 15, 2016
The programme will also focus on increasing the number, quality and deployment of medical professionals in public hospitals and health centres, to cushion the burden of none communicable diseases.
In light of the increasing cancer burden in Uganda , the East African Development Bank (EADB) has rolled out a medical training programme, aimed at sensitising the public about the dangers of none communicable diseases.
The programme will also focus on increasing the number, quality and deployment of medical professionals in public hospitals and health centres, to cushion the burden of none communicable diseases.
"We want to train about 600 doctors in the East Africa region, over the next four years, in the treatment of cancer and neurological disorders," Vivienne Yeda, the Director General of EADB said.
This was on the side lines of a press conference at the East African Development Bank offices in Kampala over the weekend.
She said the program will be implemented in partnership with the British Council and the Royal College of Physicians
The program, she explained, will focus on early detection, research and treatment of cancer and neurological disorders especially in communities and areas where access to qualified professionals remains a challenge.
In April, the country's only radiotherapy machine at Mulago referral hospital broke down beyond repair, causing despair and uproar from the general public.
According to, officials from the ministry of health, government are in the process of procuring a $1.8 million machine to cater for the rising demand for radiotherapy treatment of cancer.
The cancer unit at Mulago, according to hospital officials, gets an estimated 44,000 new referrals annually from Uganda and other neighboring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
The British Council Regional Director for Sub Saharan Africa, Mandy Johnson, said the programme will lead to a rich exchange of skills, expertise and experience between the people of the UK and Uganda.
"We are delighted that this Programme will create opportunities for doctors within the Uganda and the East Africa region who aspire to specialise in the medical disciplines of oncology and neurology and whose training will bring much needed in their communities," he said.