Uganda’s Health Worker Shortage – Why Training Local Matters Now More Than Ever
Uganda faces a significant risk of health worker shortage following recent changes to entry requirements for nursing programmes. Under new Ministry of Education guidelines, certificate programme applicants must now have a C in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, and a D in Mathematics and English .
The Uganda Private Health Training Institutions Association warns that these guidelines have greatly reduced the number of students joining health training institutions. Students with two principal passes who were admitted before the March guidelines will not join health training programmes.
This comes at a time when Uganda’s healthcare system is already overstretched. Nurses and midwives are grappling with severe challenges, including long hours, minimal pay, and delayed deployment for graduates. The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union reports that many qualified nurses remain unemployed for years despite an urgent need for healthcare professionals.
Lyantonde School of Nursing & Midwifery was established precisely to respond to this increasing demand for midwives and nurses in Uganda, East Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa . Our objectives remain clear: to contribute to reducing the ever-existing shortage of health workers and to train young women and men for the improvement of their own community health systems .
By offering flexible learning options, multiple study centres, and bursaries for needy students, LSNM is committed to ensuring that financial barriers do not stand in the way of those called to serve. We collaborate with the Ministry of Health and local government to promote medical training and public health innovation .