General
Cardiothoracic experts to help establish Mulago open heart surgery unit
A team of five Egyptian experts from the University of Suez Canal, Egypt were recently in the country to discuss issues regarding collaboration in Cardiothoracic surgery with the College of Health Sciences , Makerere University.
A team of five Egyptian experts from the University of Suez Canal, Egypt were recently in the country to discuss issues regarding collaboration in Cardiothoracic surgery with the College of Health Sciences , Makerere University.
The team led by Prof M. El-Badawi and Dr. Ibingira Charles, Dean, School of Biomedical sciences paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba in his office on Friday 29th 2010, whereupon the team revealed that they had already visited Kenya and Ethiopia on a similar mission.
The team headed by Prof. M. Morsi Amin, a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery revealed that these visits were aimed at assessing the manpower and infrastructure in the respective countries, before deciding on which city they would chose to start with. He disclosed that so far, some Doctors had been picked from Ethiopia and Kenya and they were already undergoing training in Egypt. This he hoped would help brighten the future of cardiothoracic departments in Ethiopia and at Moi University Kenya, and hoped to extend the collaboration to Makerere in Uganda, but are expected to first hold talks with the Ministry of Health as well as Mulago Hospital.
In the case of Uganda, and College of Health Sciences/Mulago Referral Hospital in particular, the team proposed to the facilitate training of Staff interested in the field of open heart surgery, in two ways; Sending their teams of experts to conduct training in Kampala, as they participate in open heart surgery at the College/ Mulago Hospital and Training Ugandan teams in Egypt. In addition they promised to offer open heart surgery to some patients who are currently in need in Egypt.
The experts also proposed to facilitate the establishment functionality of an open heart surgery unit at Mulago Hospital. To achieve this, the team will assess the needs at the College/Mulago Hospital regarding teaching, research and equipment during their visit and see how they can intervene. All the collaboration will be preceded by Agreements with the concerned units.
Prof. Baryamureeba thanked the team for their kind gesture and revealed that their visit had coincided with the Government’s plans to forge relations with partners in the health field. With the establishment of an open heart surgery unit as the eventual goal, he pledged the commitment of Makerere University to further collaborations with the University of Suez Canal, which partnership would eventually benefit all Ugandans.
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
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