By Kefa Senoga
The first day Bertram Basamu reported for work at a dental facility in the eastern Uganda district of Jinja, he had one thing in mind: Now that school is over, it is time to make money. But reality set in.
“I showed up ready to work, but no patients came to the facility that day,” he recalls. “I went home having done absolutely nothing.”
It was a humbling start for a young graduate from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Dentistry, where he had completed his studies and graduated on the 28th of July 2023.
“When patients eventually started coming, I was alone. There was no one to consult if I was doing the right thing. I had to rely entirely on what I knew and the confidence I could project,” he says. “It was scary.”
According to Basamu, that anxiety slowly turned into assurance. Today, he is a licensed dental surgeon at Kays Dental Clinic in Kampala. He says that though the working days are long, the experience he is getting is shaping his craft and calling. Basamu works six days a week.
“Every day I learn something new,” he said. “From internship to now, I’ve grown slowly but surely. The transition from dental student to practicing doctor has been gradual, but rewarding.”
Soon after his graduation, Basamu, like is the case with all dental professionals in Uganda, embarked on a one-year internship, which he completed in July 2024 at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Basamu notes that the title “Doctor” still stirs something in him, not because of prestige, but because of what it represents.
“Some people called me doctor even before I earned the degree,” he said. “Now that it feels deserved, I notice that people expect you to have all the answers they need, to carry yourself well and to lead with integrity.”
Because of the weight of such expectations, Basamu says he wants to be known more for his works. He wants to be the kind of doctor families trust and refer others to, not just someone who owns a clinic, but someone who makes an impact.
“There’s nothing better than hearing a patient say, ‘I’m doing fine now.’ I had one patient with severe gum issues who always wore a mask in public,” he said. “Today, she walks without a mask and is full of confidence. That’s what makes the profession worth it.”
He says he draws inspiration from professionals like Dr. James Magara, the Dean of the UCU School of Dentistry. “I once worked with Dr. Magara at his dental clinic, and his schedule was always fully booked months ahead. That level of patient trust is what I want to build.”
Basamu’s journey has not been short of challenges. One of his biggest early frustrations, he says, was the lack of mentorship at some of the facilities where he worked.
“It felt like you were thrown into the deep end,” he said.”That support system we had in school was gone. But now, I’m in a better space where I can grow.”
But Basamu praises UCU’s School of Dentistry for preparing them for the rigors of the trade.
“Our lecturers didn’t tolerate shortcuts. In prosthodontics, for example, I see some colleagues from other schools struggle. But thanks to how Dr. Magara taught us from theory to lab work, I find those cases manageable.”
He also credits Dr. Aisha Sekalala, Dr. Arabat Kasangaki and the entire school staff for ensuring students had ample hands-on experience and time to grasp key procedures.
As he settles into practice, Basamu dreams of specializing in cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics. However he notes that the reality of Uganda’s system offers few avenues for such advancement.
“In Uganda, the only specialization is Maxillofacial Surgery at Makerere University School of Dentistry,” he said. “Even short courses in other dental fields are rare.”
Maxillofacial Surgery is a specialized field focused on the diagnosis and the surgical treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects of the face, jaws, mouth and neck.
Beyond the clinic, Basamu unwinds by playing football, his favorite sport. His Sundays are devoted to church and spending quality time with his family.
“Dentistry is intense, so I try to respect my schedule and give space for personal renewal,” he said.
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