The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has constituted a Technical Working Group (TWG) to scrutinize the contentious National Education and Training for Health Policy 2025, as debate intensifies within the country’s medical fraternity over the proposed reforms.
The association says the committee will conduct an in-depth assessment of the policy and its likely impact on medical training, healthcare delivery, and professional standards before presenting recommendations to the National Executive Committee (NEC), which will determine UMA’s final position.
Speaking on the development, UMA Secretary General Dr. Alone Nahabwe said the review process is aimed at ensuring the association adopts an informed and evidence-based position on the new framework.
“The Technical Working Group, chaired by Dr. Epuwatt, who heads the Strategy, Policy Advisory and Research Committee (SPARC), and supported by our Legal Advisor, is currently reviewing the policy and its implications,” Dr. Nahabwe said.
The team also includes former UMA President Dr. Ekwaro Obuku alongside other professionals invited to contribute expertise in legal, policy, and medical education matters.
According to Dr. Nahabwe, the findings of the committee will guide the association’s next course of action regarding the policy, which has already triggered concern among doctors, medical students, and pre-interns across the country.
Despite initiating the review, UMA emphasized that its opposition to the policy remains unchanged.
“Our position remains as communicated during our last press conference. U.M.A rejects the proposed policy in its current form, and the recommendations we issued during that briefing still stand,” he stated.
The association reiterated its support for pre-intern doctors and other stakeholders advocating for revisions to the framework, arguing that any reforms in medical education must prioritize training quality, patient safety, and the welfare of future health workers.
“U.M.A supports all efforts by pre-interns and other stakeholders calling for a comprehensive review of the policy to safeguard training standards and patient safety,” Dr. Nahabwe added.
The National Education and Training for Health Policy 2025 was jointly unveiled in April by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Sports as part of broader reforms intended to improve the quality and relevance of health professional training in Uganda.
However, some of its proposals have generated sharp criticism from sections of the medical community. Among the most disputed changes is the proposal requiring medical students to complete a one-year supervised internship before graduation, effectively extending medical training from five years to six.
The policy also proposes significant changes to internship arrangements, including possible reduction or removal of internship allowances.
Critics argue that internship has traditionally been a post-graduation licensing requirement rather than part of the academic training programme. They warn that incorporating it into undergraduate training could increase financial pressure on students, especially those from low-income families.
Medical professionals have also raised fears that the reforms could compromise training quality, increase trainee burnout, worsen health worker migration, and ultimately affect patient care standards in the country.
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