Doctor’s body initiates efforts to secure overseas medical jobs

Summary:

• The Uganda Medical Association is assisting doctors in finding jobs abroad due to widespread unemployment concerns, with many expressing interest in opportunities in Rwanda and the United Kingdom.

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The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has initiated a program to assist medical professionals in securing employment opportunities abroad.

According to Dr. Herbert Luswata, President of UMA, the decision to facilitate placements for colleagues in neighboring Rwanda and the United Kingdom stems from concerns about widespread unemployment among medical workers. Despite efforts urging the government to integrate them into public service, many remain without employment. Dr. Luswata noted instances where doctors in government-run hospitals, like Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, resorted to offering voluntary services while awaiting formal employment. However, the prospect of overseas opportunities garnered significant interest among them.

While some doctors have already been recruited by the Rwandan government, UMA has also arranged meetings with the UK government to discuss available positions. Approximately three hundred doctors have registered to participate in the upcoming briefing scheduled for Monday.

Nevertheless, the decision to export doctors raises controversy, especially considering the country’s dire patient-to-doctor ratios, which currently stand at approximately 1:25,000, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of 1:1000. This move echoes a failed attempt a decade ago when the government signed a contract to export over two hundred specialists to Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Henry Mwebesa, Director-General of Health Services, stated that there have been no discussions with the medical association regarding this initiative.