13 Best Medical Schools in Uganda

Some disciplines or specializations are broader and more challenging than others in terms of content and time.

As a result, they require extra hard work and concentration to face them. In Uganda, students have to take it further by seeking to attend the best medical schools in Uganda.

In Uganda, there are eleven medical schools duly recognized. Medicine is a promising profession and raises men committed to taking care of humanity.

We will go straight to our discussion. Here is our table of content below.

Medical Schools in Uganda

Medicine is the most challenging course you can take in Uganda. The obvious obstacle is the admission requirements, which include a minimum score on national level A exams that will lead to the granting of the Uganda Certificate of Advanced Education (UACE) and must be administered by the Uganda National Board of Exams (UNEB).

How do Medical Schools in Uganda operate?

Admission to the Best medical schools in Uganda requires that the candidate has reached the minimum score required in the national level A exams leading to the granting of the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education or UACE, administered by the Uganda National Board of Exams (UNEB).

The training that leads to obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) lasts five (5) years if there are no repetitions.

• The first year is dedicated to basic sciences: anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry.
• The second-year is dedicated to histology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, psychology and introductory psychiatry.
• The third-year is spent rotating through the four main clinical disciplines of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology.
• The fourth-year is dedicated to public health (including community health projects) and the surgical specialties of otolaryngology, orthopedics, urology, neurosurgery and ophthalmology. Clinical psychiatry, infectious diseases, and tropical medicine are also covered.
• The fifth-year is spent rotating through the four main clinical disciplines, similar to the third year.

Students undergo important exams at the end of each year. Candidates who do not pass any of these exams are mandated to relocate them.

This is the point where most medical students feel frustrated, depressed, and overwhelmed. Some even go to the extreme of taking their own lives, considering the money and time they have devoted to their studies.

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Are There Medical Internship in Uganda?

After successfully passing the final exams of the 5th year, one receives the title of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).

A year of internship is required at a hospital designated for that purpose, under the supervision of a specialist in that discipline before the Uganda Council of Physicians and Dentists grants an unrestricted license to practice medicine and surgery.

Six months of the internship must be spent in a medical discipline (internal medicine or pediatrics) and another six months in a surgical discipline (surgery or obstetrics and gynecology).

Medical Postgraduate Training

The specialization training, which lasts three years (provided there are no repetitions), which leads to the obtaining of the Master of Medicine (MMed) degree in the particular discipline, is available at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Makerere in the following disciplines: (both medical and surgical fields grant the MMed)

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is awarded after instruction, research, and examination (usually three to five years), in selected clinical disciplines. A recognized master’s degree is required before admission to the Ph.D. Program.

Unlike what could be obtained in universities, most universities now have standardized medical structures, laboratories, professors, and competent instruments.

All these arrangements are being implemented to keep up with the medical challenges that continue to appear daily. Therefore, it is unsurprising that parents enroll their children in the best universities in the city. Perhaps, this is because no father would want his son to do a pinch of medical practices.

While it is common to see medical students to comply with the best university, here we have a list of recognized best medical schools in Uganda. This list consists of six public universities and six public schools.

#1. Makerere University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,344,000 – 2,240,000The Makerere University School of Medicine, also known as the Makerere University School of Medicine, is the medical school of Makerere University, the largest and oldest public university in Uganda, as well as, one of the best medical schools in Uganda.

The medical school has been part of Makerere University since 1924. The school provides medical education at the diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

MUSM is one of the schools comprising the College of Health Sciences of the University of Makerere, a semi-autonomous constituent college of the University of Makerere.

The university is directed by a principal and a deputy director, while a dean directs each school.

The school’s campus is located on Mulago Hill in northeast Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. The campus is approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), northeast of the central business district.

The preclinical disciplines of the medical school are integrated with the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Makerere. The clinical teaching disciplines are integrated with the Mulago Hospital Complex and the Makerere University School of Public Health, all of which are also located in Mulago Hill.

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#2. Mbarara University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,344,000

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Mbarara, also known as the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Mbarara, is the medical school of the University of Science and Technology of Mbarara, one of Uganda’s public universities.

The medical school was founded in 1989, the same year the university was established. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Mbarara constitutes the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Mbarara.

The teaching discipline of the medical school is integrated with the regional reference hospital. Hospital consultants, registrars, and interns also serve as teaching staff for university medical students.

The school’s campus is located at the Mbarara Regional Reference Hospital, in the city of Mbarara, in the Mbarara district, in western Uganda. It is reputed to be one of the best medical schools in Uganda.

Mbarara is the largest urban center in this region of the county, approximately 295 kilometers (183 miles), by road, southwest of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and the largest city in the country.

#3. Gulu University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,344,000 – 1,955,000

Gulu University School of Medicine, also known as Gulu University Medical School, is the medical faculty of Gulu University, one of Uganda’s public universities and among the best medical schools in Uganda. The Faculty of Medicine was founded in 2004, two years after the founding of Gulu University.

The school offers undergraduate, bachelor’s, and postgraduate medical education. The Gulu University School of Medicine is synonymous with the medical faculty of Gulu University.

Clinical education occurs at the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, the largest government hospital in Northern Uganda, and St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, a state-of-the-art private hospital affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu.

The school, founded in 2004, completed the first class of doctors in January 2010.

The school’s campus is within the boundaries of Gulu, the largest urban center in northern Uganda, about 345 kilometers on the road north of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.

The medical school is located approximately halfway between the main campus of Gulu University and the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital. This site houses the administrative block and the preclinical lecture theaters and laboratories.

#4. Clarke International University

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,750,000

Clarke International University (CIU), formerly International Health Sciences University, is a private non-resident university in Uganda. Clarke International University is part of the Clarke Group (Clarke Group), a agribusiness, healthcare, education, hospitality, leisure, and philanthropy company conglomerates.

The group’s companies are majority-owned by the doctor, politician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Ian Clarke. In December 2010, the university graduated from the university campus in Namuwongo, a suburb of Kampala.

CIU’s main campus is at 4686 St. Barnabas Road, Namuwongo, a southeastern part of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.

The university’s second campus is in the upper Lubowa district, approximately 11 km south of Kampala’s central business district on Kampala-Entebbe Street.

#5. Kampala International University School of Health Sciences

Tuition Fee: UGX 2,250,000

The Kampala International University School of Health Sciences (KIUSHS) is the School of Health Sciences of Kampala International University, a private Ugandan university.

The school teaches health sciences on a diploma, basic and advanced level. The school was founded in 2004 and has welcomed the first students this year.

The twenty-three pioneering students graduated in 2010. The school’s students are from Uganda and other African countries, especially Kenya.

The school is licensed to teach basic and postgraduate courses in human medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing. The medical and dental regulatory agencies in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda recognize the KIU School of Health Sciences.

The faculties are from Uganda, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and the Philippines. The school’s campus is located in the city of Ishaka in the district of Bushenyi in western Uganda, about 330 kilometers on the road southwest of Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda.

#6. Uganda Martyrs University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 2,500,000

The Uganda Martyrs University School of Medicine, officially named Mother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School, is the medical faculty of Uganda Martyrs University.

Since June 2014, the medical faculty is Uganda’s newest medical faculty, founded in 2010. Currently, the school offers postgraduate medical education in pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, and emergency medicine.

The UMU School of Medicine is the medical school of Uganda Martyrs University, located in Nkozi, Mpigi District. The school was founded in 2010 and is headed by the dean.

The medical faculty’s clinical disciplines are integrated into St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, a 540-bed shared hospital owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala and administered by the Little Sisters of St. Francis.

The school’s campus is located on Nsambya Hill south of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest metropolis, approximately 5 kilometers south of the city’s central business district.

As of February 2015, the following departments of the Faculty of Medicine of Uganda Martyrs University existed: Department of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Child Health, Surgery, and Emergency Medicine. Currently, no undergraduate programs are offered at the UMU School of Medicine.

#7. St. Augustine International University

Tuition Fee: USD 1,000 – 3,000

The SAIU is a private university in Uganda founded in 2011. It is accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education, the national body that licenses colleges in the country.

The multi-campus university is one of several private universities accredited between 2010 and 2014. Founding Vice-Chancellor of the University is Charity Basaza Mulenga, an electrical and computer engineer educated at Makerere University in Uganda and Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

The College seeks to provide innovative education and research programs in the health, medical and life sciences that significantly contribute to the health of individuals and communities worldwide.

In the face of the acute shortage of well-trained medical staff, which limits Uganda’s ability to provide quality health care, the college seeks to fill this gap by training and qualifying healthcare professionals.

The main campus is located near Bunga in the Makindye Division, one of the five administrative districts of the Ugandan capital Kampala. This location is approximately eight kilometers down the road southeast of the city’s central business district.

#8. Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,300,000 – 1,950,000

The Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences, also known as the Busitema University Medical School and the Busitema University School of Medicine (BUSM), is the School of Medicine of Busitema University, one of Uganda’s public universities.

The Faculty of Medicine is one of the country’s newest medical faculties and part of the University since 2013. The school offers undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. The school is the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Busitema.

The faculty is headed by Dean Paul Wacko, who a deputy dean represents. The teaching disciplines of the Medical Faculty are integrated into the district hospital. The hospital’s advisors, registrars, and interns teach the university’s medical and nursing students.

The school’s campus is located on the grounds of the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital on Pallisa Road in the central business district of Mbale, eastern Uganda. The campus is approximately 220 kilometers northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.

#9. Habib Medical School

Tuition Fee: UGX 3,000,000

The Habib Medical School (HMS) is the medical faculty of the Islamic University of Uganda (IUIU), one of Uganda’s private universities. The school is the country’s newest medical faculty and, since 2014, part of the IUIU.

The school offers medical education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Habib Medical School forms the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Islamic University in Uganda. The faculty is headed by a dean represented by a deputy dean.

Many of the academic positions within the faculty are still vacant. The teaching disciplines of the Faculty of Medicine are integrated with those of Kibuli Hospital, the university’s teaching hospital.

The hospital’s advisors, registrars, and interns teach the medical students at the university.

The medical school is located on the Kampala campus of the Uganda Islamic University in Kibuli Hillvand, next to the Kibuli Hospital. This location is approximately 3.5 kilometers down the road southeast of Kampala’s central business district, Uganda’s capital and largest city.

The Faculty of Medicine is named after the Saudi Arabian Habib family, who was key in building the physical infrastructure and facilities. It is considered one of the best medical schools in Uganda.

The following basic courses are offered:

The Bachelor of Medicine and the Bachelor of Surgery are awarded after two years of preclinical instruction and examination in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology, followed by three years of clinical instruction and testing in general surgery and internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, psychiatry, ENT, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Anesthesiology, Urology, and Public Health.

#10. Soroti University School of Health Sciences

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,500,000 – 3,000,000

The Soroti University School of Health Sciences is one of the two schools of Soroti University, one of Uganda’s public universities. The school houses the Faculty of Medicine of the university, the fifth public medical faculty in the country, and among the best medical schools in Uganda.

The school, officially named Soroti University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SUSMHS), is divided into over 20 different departments, each headed by a department head. The study areas include human medicine, nursing, dentistry, biomedicine, pharmacy, and health professionals.

One of the school’s goals is to educate competent healthcare professionals to ensure the necessary health care and reduce disease burden and morbidity in the region and in the country.

The school’s campus is on the grounds of the Soroti Regional Referral Hospital in the central business district of Soroti Town, Soroti district in the east of the region. This campus is approximately 293 kilometers northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.

#11. Kabale University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 2,699,000

Kabale University School of Medicine, also known as Kabale University Medical School, is the medical faculty of Kabale University, one of Uganda’s public universities. Kabale University Medical School was founded in 2015 when the university became a public institution.

This is one of the six public medical schools, one of the eleven public and private higher education institutions, and one of the best medical schools in Uganda. The Kabale Regional Referral Hospital is the designated teaching hospital of Kabale University Medical School.

About 110 students, 50 in medicine and 60 in nursing, attend the hospital’s university programs yearly. Their presence enhances service delivery in the hospital and complements the hospital staff.

The Kabale University Medical School is located on the main campus of the University of Kikungiri Hill, in the Kabale Ward, in the block that formerly housed the Biology, Chemistry, and Physics laboratories, until a more suitable location was found.

The clinical departments of the Faculty of Medicine are located in the Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, the teaching hospital of the medical faculty.

#12. Uganda Christian University School of Medicine

Tuition Fee: UGX 1,344,000

The Uganda Christian University School of Medicine, also UCU School of Medicine or UCU Medical School, is a medical school in Uganda. The school is based in the Mengo Hospital and includes a faculty of dentistry.

In February 2018, the University’s Uganda National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE) issued an accreditation letter for three new medical programs (a), Bachelor, in Medicine and Bachelor in Surgery, (b) Bachelor in Dental Surgery, and (c) Bachelor of Public Health.

The Faculty of Medicine maintains offices, laboratories, lecture theaters, and dormitories on the grounds of the hospital.

The original start date was May 2017, until the accreditation by the UNCHE. In the beginning, a total of 70 students will be admitted, 50 in the MBChB program and 20 in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

The pioneer class with 62 students began to attend classes on Friday, September 14, 2018. The students were nationals of Eritrea, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Conclusion

The truth is that being a medical student in Uganda makes one work harder than one has worked in life. As a sensitive course, medicine is a marathon course that requires one to become familiar with bulky material and apply basic scientific principles and clinical skills.

However, the fact that being a medical student places him in a prestigious position among the best students across the country makes medicine and surgery very exciting. That is why an attempt to attend one of the best medical schools in Uganda could be the best decision ever.

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