By Irene Best Nyapendi
Midwives are witnesses of the miracle that giving birth is. In doing so, they support mothers through labor and delivery. And that has been the profession of Dr. Elizabeth Namukombe Ekong for decades, both as an active and passive participant.
For the times when she was an active midwife, Ekong says one of her most memorable experiences involved a baby who was delivered breech. A breech is when either the bottom or the feet of the baby comes first during delivery. And as expected, such scenarios may result in complications if not handled skillfully. For the case that Ekong was handling, the baby came out but was not breathing. Neither did it cry. And that was a serious concern for both the mother and the medics.
‘It finally cried’
Ekong took the baby to a separate room, performed resuscitation, and prayed fervently, declaring life into it, until it finally cried. Overjoyed, she connected the baby to oxygen and brought it back to the mother, who was filled with tears of joy. Those are the kinds of miracles that from childhood, Ekong prayed to be performing – bringing hope to a distressed patient.
“I was determined to touch lives and help people feel better,” she recalls.
However, along the way, she changed direction, from clinical practice to academia, possibly to ensure that instead of practicing, she takes charge of teaching and churning out more medics who will be able to do what she all along dreamed of.
Midwifery or teaching?
Ekong crossed to academia in 2008 after completing her Bachelor of Nursing Science at Uganda Christian University (UCU). She was among the pioneer students for this course at UCU. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she was faced with a difficult choice: to remain in her government position as a midwife or accept a tutorial assistant role at UCU. She chose the latter.
And since 2008, Ekong has not looked back, growing through the ranks at UCU, with her most recent appointment as the Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Nursing, and Midwifery.
She holds a Diploma in Midwifery, a Diploma in Nursing, a Bachelor of Nursing Science from UCU (2008), a master’s degree (2011), and a PhD from the University of Central Nicaragua (2022). Dr. Karen Drake, emeritus professor of nursing, Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.), has been her mentor.
“I was surprised when I heard that I had been appointed dean, but after I shared the information with my family and friends, their excitement for me filled my heart with joy,” she said during an interview she granted Uganda Partners recently.
She sees her latest appointment as a calling from God, as well as the result of her strong attention to detail and dedication to her work, qualities she says her colleagues have consistently recognized.
Now, as dean
As she takes over from Dr. Miriam Mutabazi, she envisions increasing student enrollment, growing strong faculty teams, and expanding the faculty’s programs, including the introduction of a PhD program.
As dean, she has delegated the responsibility for clinical course units to others, as her role requires her to be less present at the hospital with the students. However, she continues to serve as a senior lecturer, teaching students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the faculty.
She identifies one of the faculty’s key challenges as operating in hospitals that are not owned by UCU for student training. This often prevents them from taking all students to a single facility due to capacity limitations, highlighting the need for more staff.
To address this, they collaborate with personnel at such hospitals to assist in training. She envisions a future where UCU has its own hospital, enhancing the educational experience for students.
What makes UCU’s nursing program unique is that the Bachelor of Nursing Science curriculum includes Foundation Courses like world views, Christian living (New and Old Testament), Christian ethics and others. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the necessary competencies and skills that the teaching staff are committed to pass on. The Master of Nursing Science curriculum integrates the Christian and professional ethics in the different course units, giving the graduates unique competencies that make them stand out in the communities they serve.
Such an approach focuses on nurturing students to embrace both professional and Christian ethics, in line with the nursing anthem that proclaims their divine calling to serve.
Ekong is the chairperson of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC), the regulators of the nursing profession in Uganda. The body enforces standards of training and practice, registers nurses and midwives, and provides professional guidelines for public safety.
At 57, Ekong is a mother and wife, married to Dr. Ekong Joseph, a medical doctor. The couple has been married for more than 25 years. They are blessed with three biological children, two of whom are currently pursuing degrees at UCU. She says her family has been a source of strength and encouragement, supporting her through her career journey.
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