By Pauline Luba
As a child, Juliet Sekabunga Nalwanga was fascinated whenever she saw tellers in banks with bundles of cash. As such, she made up her mind to work in a bank. However, as she grew up, she realized that the money saved there was not actually theirs. She started feeling the pull to save human life instead. She opted for a career in medicine.

In 2018, Nalwanga became a neurosurgeon, a specialist who treats conditions impacting the brain and spinal cord. She is Uganda’s first female neurosurgeon, a feat that earned her global recognition in a field where specialists are rare. She also was the first woman in Uganda to obtain a Masters of Medicine in Surgery from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. She is fully aware that the 13 neurosurgeons that were serving Uganda’s more than 40 million people by 2021 are inadequate. The World Health Organization recommends one neurosurgeon for every 100,000 people. As such, she has joined a team of people training more professionals in the field, as well as mentoring surgical trainees. 

Nalwanga has taught medical students in four universities in Uganda, including Uganda Christian University (UCU), where she is currently a faculty member at the university’s School of Medicine.

The last born of 10 siblings says she had inspiration within her family for the career choice. Her maternal aunt, who she says was a great encourager and at one time paid her school fees, was a physician. Nalwanga’s father, Prof. Sekabunga, was a respected academic and a well-known pediatric surgeon at Uganda’s national referral facility, Mulago Hospital, in the 1970s and 1980s.

The 40-year-old Nalwanga possesses a Master of Medicine in Surgery from Uganda’s Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a Fellowship in Neurosurgery of the College of Surgeons East, Central and Southern Africa. She also has a Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery from The Hospital for Sick Children, which is part of University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, where she spent a year-long in training.

Nalwanga advises future professionals to prioritize training in their countries if that is where they hope to practice from, and only seek opportunities of fellowship from abroad. When one trains in a country where he/she hopes to practice medicine, it helps with understanding better some of the conditions that may be more prevalent among the people in that geographic area. 

The main reason for the late entry of women in neurosurgery in Uganda, according to Nalwanga, is culture. 

“Women operate on a biological clock. It makes it difficult to go after things that take a long time, such as medical school,” she says, adding, “there is a point, though, when one can get courage to be different and go after what they want, regardless of that clock.” 

In Uganda, a medical course takes five years, with a mandatory one year of internship before practice. 

To Nalwanga, neurosurgery is often a matter of an emergency. However, Nalwanga says the challenge of shortage of resources may hamper the timely provision of many interventions. The issue of affordability of the services is another challenge that many patients face, which Nalwanga says directly affects any timely assistance for those with neurological challenges.

The women and men in society who have sacrificed a lot to make the lives of other people better are Nalwanga’s true heroes and have inspired her to reach where she is.Nalwanga has had a number of such heroes in various points of her life. 

On days when either work has not gone well, or Nalwanga has met stressful conditions, she says she finds solace in spending time with her 13-year-old son, Majwega Paul Isaiah. “He calms me down,” she said.    

When she isn’t working, Nalwanga is driving, roller-skating outside of Ugandan roads or exploring nature. Her life goal is to invent things that can aid with neurological challenges and enable people to lead normal lives.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Kefa Senoga
If anyone had been in the shoes of Abaliwano Yvette, chances are he/she would have made the same career decision. Yvette, a student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (SoM), is surrounded by medical professionals at her home.

Her father, Dr. Abaliwano Mark, is a dental surgeon working with Uganda’s central bank. Yvette’s mother, Dr. Walusansa Victoria, works with the Uganda Cancer Institute, where she is the organization’s Deputy Director, consultant oncologist and the clinical head.

And that’s not all. Yvette’s extended family, too, has a sizable number of medical practitioners. Two of her uncles are doctors, and so is one of her aunts, as well as some of her cousins.

There is no doubt that the Abaliwano family members have been living off benefits that the parents have been accruing from their employment in the medical profession. That could have been a big factor in pulling Yvette into the career she is pursuing.

The four years she has been a student at the SoM have been a real test to Yvette’s resolve to pursue her dream course. “Many of my colleagues with whom I completed secondary school have since graduated — those who undertook courses of three or four years,” Yvette, a member of the SoM writing club, noted.

However, she explained that determination and keeping hope alive have always conspired to give her the much-needed patience for her to complete her five-year course.

She said one of the attractions to the medical course is the multiplicity of disciplines that one can specialize in. For Yvette’s case, the charm of her mother has finally lured her into considering specializing in oncology — the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer.

Research shows that the incidence and mortality due to cancer are increasing globally. The global cancer burden is predicted to rise to 22 million cases and 11 million deaths by 2030. In Uganda, government statistics indicate that about 33,000 Ugandans are diagnosed with cancer every year, of which, only about 7,400 make it for care at the Uganda Cancer Institute.

It’s damning statistics like these that have drawn Yvette into seeking to make a mark in the fight against the world’s second-leading cause of death.

“I hope to set up a fitness clinic and possibly help in reducing obesity among people,” she said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, being overweight increases the risk of getting up to 13 types of cancer, which make up 40% of the cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. 

Yvette strongly discourages anyone who wants to pursue the medical profession purely for financial benefit. “Being a doctor means offering service to the community. It is not guaranteed that you will get the amount of money that you desire, especially in Uganda” she says. 

Others, Yvette explains, seek to pursue the career because of the prestige which comes with holding the title “doctor.” However, many of such people, according to Yvette, end up dropping out of the course in the early stages after experiencing the rigor and the level of commitment that is required. 

Yvette strongly believes the secondary school she attended — Mt. St. Mary’s College, Namagunga, a church-founded elite school in Uganda — has a lot to do with the achievements she has so far registered at the SoM. At Mt. St. Mary’s College, Namagunga, she learned good values, such as hard work and the virtue of patience. At UCU, she says her religious life has been greatly enhanced because of the institution’s reputation as a Christ-centered university not just in name, but in deed.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Kefa Senoga
By January 28, 2023, Uganda had registered 170,328 cases of coronavirus. Of those, 3,630 had died. Florence Bwanika is part of that tragic statistic. Bwanika, a renowned veterinary doctor and academic, succumbed to the pandemic on January 17, 2021, the time Uganda was just shaking itself off the first wave of the pandemic. Uganda later had the second wave of the virus, which was more deadly.

Bwanika was the mother of Namayanja Christabel, a year-four student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine (SoM) in Mengo. Namayanja says while zeroing in on a course to pursue at university, she wanted one which would give her the opportunity to impact and transform lives. And human medicine was one such course.

Namayanja’s mother, as well as her father, Christopher Bwanika, wanted her to pursue medicine. Her parents encouraged her to put emphasis on science subjects in secondary school to prepare her for this path. Namayanja studied at the Church-founded Gayaza High School, Uganda’s oldest all-girls boarding secondary school. The Bwanika couple was passionate about educating the younger generation. 

In August 2021, seven months after losing her mother, Namayanja says she also lost her grandmother “under circumstances that could be prevented.” While interacting with Uganda Partners during an online interview, Namayanja said those two deaths of her loved ones cemented the belief that she was, indeed, on the right path, by pursuing a career in medicine. She believes that the knowledge she will acquire in the training will enable her to offer the first line of treatment to her close relatives.

According to Namayanja, Gayaza High School laid the foundation for whatever virtues she currently reaps. She says at Gayaza, she was able to acquire multiple skills outside of science. Among these were writing, reading and social interaction – the latter reinforced as she served in different capacities as a student leader in Gayaza. She was once a chapel prefect (leader in charge of religious affairs) and the editor in chief of the school writers’ club.  

With the experience she garnered working for the writers’ club, it was easy for Namayanja to work for the UCU School of Medicine’s Writers’ Society, where she runs a blog.

Acknowledging that her medicine studies, including extensive reading, are time intensive, she juggles classwork and activities beyond class with strong planning skills.

 “I usually plan for the day, and follow up that plan with daily goals,” Namayanja says.

She says the SoM learning environment eases student academic challenges.

“UCU has provided quality services to us,” she said. “As students, we feel we are getting the value for our tuition; we are taught by some of the best practitioners in the medical field, and groomed to be high-quality professionals who are exceptional and holistic.”

She cites lecturers like Dr. Rhoda Mayega, a renowned pediatrician at Mengo Hospital, who “has been very pivotal in driving us to become better doctors.”

Namayanja says she is also interested in exploring other fields like finance, technology and artificial intelligence. “I strive to equip myself with knowledge from other fields that are necessary in this fast-changing world.”

She believes that one day, she will be able to apply all the knowledge that she acquires from other fields into her profession. 

In the future, Namayanja hopes to run a mental health blog that incorporates telemedicine to be able to reach people who need mental health services.

“I am looking at promoting good health-seeking behavior and practices among members of my community, which is the responsibility of a doctor,” Namayanja explains.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Kefa Senoga
Dr. Lutakome Joseph is an amiable man. By the end of the day, not even the stress after a long day’s work will show on the face of the specialist physician who works at Nsambya Hospital in Kampala. 

“He always carries himself with the willingness to help his patients by interacting with them in such a way that makes them change their focus from their illness, for a little while,” says Barungi Abigail, for whom Lutakome has been a family doctor.  

Barungi thinks a doctor who understands and relates to their patients’ feelings, and treats them while focusing on their individual needs, would be the most ideal.

The fourth-year student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery course at the institution’s School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala, says Lutakome “takes his time to explain to patients basing on their level of knowledge and understanding, so they are able to know more about their diseases and how to avoid recurrence.” Through Lutakome’s virtues, Barungi says she was persuaded to pursue a career in human medicine. 

“The fulfillment that one gets after treating a patient is something I have longed for since childhood, I felt that I would best help those in society through the medical profession,” Barungi notes, as if in agreement with the saying that “not all angels have wings, but some have stethoscopes.”

A successful doctor-patient relationship is one of holistic treatment. According to Barungi, there is nothing more satisfying for a doctor than offering medical help and a patient gets healed. And that is the satisfaction that she yearns when she eventually begins medical practice after school.

Asked about what area she would love to specialize in after undergraduate studies, Barungi points to where she thinks she will be hitting two birds with one stone. When children, especially newborns, are not well, the amount of distress it causes the parents is unfathomable. And that is why she has her eyes in neonatology, which is concerned with the care and treatment of newborns. Barungi hopes that her contribution will, in one way or another, reduce the number of deaths of neonates in Uganda.

She believes that the kind of training she is receiving at the UCU School of Medicine has been a timely exposure not only in the medical field, but also on matters of faith. 

At UCU, Barungi says that she has been able to meet amazing professionals, such as Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, a lecturer in anatomy — the study of the structure of humans, animals and other living organisms. Tumusiime is also the Dean of UCU School of Medicine. 

“He has been like a father and mentor to most of us at the SoM,” she said, adding: “He mentored me in my clinical and non-clinical years, as well as coaching me in life after medical school.”

The mentorship by Tumusiime, Barungi says, is just a continuation of what she has always received from her parents, siblings and godparents. 

She says the schools she attended before joining UCU provided the much-needed holistic education, which does not just emphasize academics, but also discipline, humility and self drive — virtues which have been useful during her course at UCU. For Barungi’s six years of secondary education, she attended Mt. St. Mary’s College Namagunga, one of the elite secondary schools in Uganda. She said Namagunga, a girls-only school, had well-equipped laboratories, which motivated students to appreciate science subjects more. 

When she is away from books, Barungi says she spends her free time with family and friends, as well as participating in medical camps. She also engages in learning more about the business industry, where she says she also has a lot of interest.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Pauline Luba
Mulungi Jemimah Mulamba and Dr. Juliet Sekabunga Nalwanga are separated by as many incidents in their lives as they are united. 

One point of convergence for the two Ugandan women is that they chose the same career path — human medicine. Another unifying factor is that both are daughters of academic parents. Mulungi’s father, Peter Mulamba, is an agricultural engineer and lecturer at Uganda’s Makerere University, and her mother, Esther Lilian Mulamba, teaches physiology at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine. Nalwanga’s father, Prof. Sekabunga, was a respected academic and a well-known pediatric surgeon at Uganda’s national referral facility, Mulago Hospital. Another of the points of intersection is that Nalwanga and the mother of Mulungi are both academics at UCU’s School of Medicine.

Recently, Nalwanga and Mulungi met in class at UCU’s School of Medicine, the former as the teacher of the latter. Mulungi is in year four, pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and part of Nalwanga’s roles at UCU is to teach neurosurgery courses to year-four students.

Before 2018, Mulungi hadn’t even heard Nalwanga’s name. However, an achievement that the latter had in the same year threw her in the limelight. Nalwanga became the first female neurosurgeon in Uganda, a feat that earned her global recognition in a field where specialists are rare.  By 2021, with a population of more than 40 million people, there were only 21 neurosurgeons in Uganda. The World Health Organization recommends one neurosurgeon for every 100,000 people.

“She is my hero and a living testimony that one can have a successful career in medicine while still balancing out other sectors in their life,” Mulungi said of Nalwanga.

Mulungi is still debating on which field to specialize in for her post-graduate studies. Three areas — neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery and gynecology — are on the table. Can the charm of her idol, Nalwanga, sway her towards neurosurgery to create another point of convergence for the two?

“I like neurosurgery because the brain has always fascinated me, cardiothoracic surgery because modern habits are leading people to develop new conditions and gynecology because I’m interested in the work of bringing in new life,” Mulungi said, further creating a mystery on what she will finally zero in on. 

But maybe it’s too early for the fuss. The 22-year-old still has another year of study, and another year of a mandatory medical internship before graduation.

What is for sure is she intends to use her profession to help women, especially when it comes to giving birth. “Women should not be paying hefty sums to health facilities to be able to give birth or for postnatal care,” she said, adding that she hopes for Ugandan facilities that will cater for women with issues related to antenatal and postnatal care. 

She says the main reason she applied to join UCU was because she wanted the university’s strong Christian foundation to reinforce her religious beliefs. One of her favorite programs is the lunch-hour, Christian fellowship that is conducted at the university every Tuesday and Thursday. Mulungi says her goal is to become a medical practitioner whose faith leads her practice. She is a firm believer in the mantra that medics administer medicines to patients, but the healing power of the sickness remains with God. In the future, Mulungi hopes to practice medicine alongside ministering the word of God.

For Mulungi’s early education, she attended Kampala Parents School for her primary learning and Nabisunsa Girls School for her secondary education. Both schools are in Kampala. Mulungi says she made a decision to study medicine when she was just 11 years old – a vision anchored in her desire to help people. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Kefa Senoga
“Without faith, nothing is possible; with it, nothing is impossible” is a famous quote from the late educator and American civil rights activist, Mary McLeod Bethune. 

Along that vein, Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine student, Kihumuro Peace Patricia, believes that education without faith is akin to building a house on sand. It is for this reason that Kihumuro says she sought to pursue her medical course at UCU. She hoped for a faith-based university education.

“Joining UCU was a family decision because the university is built on Christian principles,” she said during a recent interview with Uganda Partners.  

And when she joined the university, she witnessed just what she expected. For instance, she got to learn that at UCU, there is lunchtime community worship twice a week — every Tuesday and Thursday.

“Even with the way we have studied, we have had a lot of incorporation of faith in other activities that take place in the university” Kihumuro explained, noting that their studies have been multi-dimensional, which she believes will make her and her student colleagues better doctors in the market. 

And that is not all. Kihumuro says at UCU, within their first year of study, they were already having clinical exposure, where they would meet with doctors to discuss issues.

“Accessing the ward in year one gives a student the ability to make the connection between classroom knowledge and what they will practice,” she explained, adding that the smaller class sizes are an added advantage. 

“We are 56 students per class, which helps us to network more, an advantage UCU has over other medical schools,” she said.

When UCU’s first Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Noll, assumed office in 2000, his main task was to set up a Christian university not just in name, but also in character. Indeed, when Noll addressed a gathering as a keynote speaker during a public lecture at the university on October 26, 2022, he said his task was to set up a university that “seeks to incorporate fully the Christian gospel in all its programs.”  

Decades later, it is this system that is attracting people like Kihumuro, a year-four student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at UCU’s School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala.

She says the ideals of UCU make the institution almost an extension of the secondary school she attended — Uganda Martyrs Secondary School Namugongo in central Uganda — that also is built on strong Christian values, and the administrators do all they can to enforce the principles.

Kihumuro is positive that the grooming she has received thus far will play a pivotal role in making her a better professional. After her undergraduate course, Kihumuro hopes to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. 

“When patients trust you with their lives, you need to treat them with a lot of dignity in return,” she said, noting that if she combines her empathy towards patients and passion for solving a health challenge that is affecting someone, she will be of good use to many patients. 

In fact, it is this empathy that attracted Kihumuro to the medical profession. “While growing up, I was in and out of hospital, especially during my childhood. Along the way, I met Dr. Christine, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist, who I would go to for treatment; she was so caring and kind.”

Kihumuro emphasizes that a patient should be treated as a fellow human being and not just as a patient. To her, there is nothing as gratifying as sending a patient back home to their family in a better condition than how they came to the hospital.

Given a chance, Kihumuro says she will not think twice when an opportunity for greener pastures knocks on her door. She urges the Ugandan government to create better working conditions for the medical workers, to reduce chances of brain drain since the country still needs more personnel. Estimates indicate that the doctor-patient ratio in Uganda is at 1:25,000 and the nurse-to-patient ratio at 1:11,000. The World Health Organisation recommends a doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,000. 

For now, before any chances of greener pastures present themselves, Kihumuro says she is eager to make a mark in the fight against non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, by preaching lifestyle changes and frequent health check-ups through an NGO called Health Torch Uganda. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Pauline Luba
A 2007 incident in the family of Jethro Odoi Okoth was the impetus for a medicine career choice for Odoi, now age 23 and a year away from becoming a doctor. Odoi, then a teenager, saw his younger brother suffer a fractured skull, necessitating surgery in a country where neurosurgeons are scarce.

Odoi, who hopes to specialize in neurosurgery, is pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala.

By 2007, Uganda had only four neurosurgeons for a population of about 30 million people. By 2020, thanks to interventions through deliberate strategic partnerships, that number had more than tripled, to 13 until one neurosurgeon, John Baptist Mukasa, died of Covid in 2021.  At that, the country’s population also increased to more than 40 million people, meaning each neurosurgeon was serving slightly over three million Ugandans. The World Health Organization recommends one neurosurgeon for every 100,000 people. 

Odoi’s parents — the Rev. Denis Odoi and Mrs. Harriet Eve Odoi —  finally obtained a neurosurgeon for the brother, but after a long struggle. 

In 2007, when Odoi’s family made contact with the neurosurgeon who eventually performed a surgical procedure on the family member, they discovered that at the time they were looking for him, he was not even in town. However, when he learned of their need, he “came specifically to help my brother.” That gesture, Odoi says, left an indelible mark in his memory. When his brother got healed, Odoi made the decision that he would pursue a career in neurosurgery, to reduce the high specialist-patient ratio. At year four in medical school, he seems to have walked the longer part of the journey towards achieving his dream.

Odoi, who has always been a high performer in class, attended Victorious Primary School and the elite King’s College, Budo for both O’level and A’level Both schools are in central Uganda. Since joining university, Odoi says he has learned to be more outgoing, a virtue he will need in his profession. This has been helped by the fact that the “people in the university have a warm personality” and that the lecturers are down-to-earth and more engaging.

Had he not opted to study human medicine, Odoi says his love for reading would not have spared him from pursuing a course in literature. During his leisure time, if he is not reading a book, most probably one will find him writing an article or engaging in a brain game of chess or in the field playing hockey. It would not be surprising also to find Odoi participating in boat rides or doing nature walks.

Asked about whether he would consider working abroad, Odoi said: “Four years ago, if I had been asked that question, I would have said my goal is to study abroad, get a job and stay there.” However, his position has since changed.

“Witnessing my relatives, my friends and my brother struggle to get medical attention, I would prefer to stay in Uganda and help all those who would need my services.”

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Pauline Luba
When Sharma Yash Pareshkumar was admitted to Uganda Christian University (UCU) to pursue a degree in human medicine, it brought him closer to realising his dream of wearing the white coat. However, events that unfolded soon after left him with more questions than answers if, indeed, he had made the right decision to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

As early as Senior Three, Sharma had made up his mind to pursue a career in medicine. He says his interest was supported by the fact that he was generally performing well in science subjects.

Sharma’s early years of study at UCU, however, exposed him to the real challenges met by many who are pursuing the course, as well as those already practising it. Some staff members lost the battle to Covid-19. He says the passing on of the staff made him fully understand the path that medical practitioners have to tread — even during a pandemic of a contagious disease like Covid, as others are retreating to safer environments, health workers have to take the frontline positions to save communities.

And that was not the only challenge. More recently, the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in Uganda also deepened his perspective on the duty of the medical personnel. When the Ugandan government announced the outbreak of Ebola on September 20, the 24-year-old was at Mulago Hospital during his class’s scheduled rotation of the ward rounds. He said like anyone else, it was a scary experience, since he was at the country’s main referral hospital. According to the World Health Organisation, 19 medical workers contracted the virus in Uganda, with seven of them losing the battle. Of the 142 confirmed cases, 55 died. However, on January 11, the country was declared Ebola-free.

As a first-year student in 2019, Sharma says studies took up almost his entire time. Matters were even made worse by the kind of grades he obtained, which he said did not reflect the amount of time he was devoting to the course. However, with time, faith, planning and more reading, Sharma says his grades progressively improved. 

“I enjoy breaking down difficult things. In my time here, I have gained confidence, a better attitude and shifted from being impulsive to being calm,” says Sharma, a Ugandan of Indian descent and a son of Sharma Paresh, an engineer and Mrs Sharma Damayanti, an accountant.

He attended Buganda Road Primary School, Makerere College School for his O’level and Mengo Secondary School for his A’level. Sharma says he learned about UCU through a friend who was already studying at the institution. The year-four student, a Hindu by faith, said he was drawn to the university because of the similarities between its core values and his religious beliefs.

“I related the university’s core values to my faith. As much as you can find differences in religion, some values relate, like the belief and worship of God, humility and faith. I believed UCU would be the perfect environment for me to study in,” Sharma explained as he defended the choice of the university. 

He says sometimes he attends fellowship at the university because, according to him, the teachings are universal. 

Once he becomes doctor, Sharma hopes to be part of a campaign against anxiety because he believes the condition has hindered many people from achieving their full potential.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Irene Best Nyapendi
At Mukwano Industries, Uganda, Joel Semakula was the employee of the year, earned a promotion, and had a salary boost on the way. But his true love was elsewhere. 

After completing secondary school, he had his sights on medicine. However, he did not make it to the shortlist to study it at Makerere University. So, he thought of studying bio medical laboratory technology with a plan of upgrading to medicine later on, but this too was not possible. He settled for chemical engineering at Kyambogo University.

Once he graduated, he got a job with Mukwano, where he excelled and was recognized as employee of the year in 2018.  At that and with his heart elsewhere, he turned down a promotion and resigned.

“I always saw myself practicing medicine, and I will even do it when I am past retirement age,” he says.

The busy work schedule at Mukwano was a roadblock to studying in the demanding field of medicine. He got his savings and requested his parents to support him further to pursue the course he loves. 

“My mother believed in me and together with my family, they supported me,” he says.

He tried several times to get a vacancy at Makerere University with no success. This, however, did not break his resolve. 

To Semakula, he loves the life-saving work doctors do because it is like working together with God to give people a second chance at life. God finally answered his prayers when he applied at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

“When I heard about UCU School of Medicine, I applied and was so happy when I passed the interviews,” he says. “My mouth was filled with laughter.”

Now in his fourth year, with one more year to go, Semakula says he finds fulfillment in his work. 

“There’s satisfaction when you alleviate someone else’s suffering,” he says.

He recalls a time in year three, during junior clerkship when he answered a mother’s queries about her child’s health and the next day the woman returned asking for Semakula because she was so pleased with his services.

Semakula is determined to be an excellent surgeon. He is further encouraged by his lecturer, Dr. Mwanje Bright Anderson, who inspires him by the way he handles patients, relating to each. 

One day during a bedside teaching session at Mulago Hospital, the instructing specialist defined a surgeon as the world’s best physician who sometimes operates. 

“This stuck with me. I had simply wanted to become a surgeon, but it dawned on me that one ought to be an equally excellent physician to make a good surgeon,” he says.

Semakula joined UCU to study a course he loves, but has since fallen in love with its culture and values as well.

“At first, there was nothing particularly attractive about the school that drew me in, because I didn’t know much about it other than the widely known fact that UCU produced brilliant lawyers. But I was optimistic this would become the case with medicine,” Semakula says.

He confesses that the study of medicine is as tough as he imagined, but he has accepted the task because as professional doctors, they need to get everything right. He emphasizes that the oath doctors take of doing no harm to lives requires them to get it right during training.

“I have to make it, there’s no other option. I push on mostly for me, then because there are people who believe in me and importantly for the people I will serve (my patients) eventually,” Semakula vows.

Semakula is passionate about humanity and care for others. He is concerned about doctors who tend to prioritize money-making at the expense of compassionate service. He has pledged to be a good doctor that puts medical care above financial rewards. He is hopeful that when he has made good money, he will channel some into financing affordable health care for all. 

“I hope to stay true to my convictions and influence others to see the same,” he says, almost as a prayer.

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