Health
Alumni Event to Celebrate Makerere & Karolinska Partnership held
Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) and Karolinska Institutet (KI), Sweden hosted their alumni to celebrate the strategic partnership of the two institutions which began in 2000. The event was held on the 5th May 2022 at the Dean’s Gardens, College of Health Sciences, Mulago Hill, Kampala, Uganda. The collaboration between MakCHS and Karolinska Institutet began in 2000 initially focused on joint research projects.
Makerere University and KI signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2003 to support doctoral education and the collaboration expanded to include exchange of faculty and students. As a result of the collaboration between the two institutions, an active alumni network was created including health professionals and researchers. More than 300 faculty and students have benefited from the collaboration supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). Over 40 PhDs graduates and 500 peer-reviewed articles have been realized from the strategic partnership. Study programmes covered under the partnership include: Dentistry, Medicine, Midwifery, Nursing, Public Health Sciences and Speech and Language Pathology.
In his welcome remarks the Deputy Principal MakCHS, Prof. Isaac Kajja, who represented the Principal Prof Damalie Nakanjako, welcomed everyone and those attending from outside Uganda to the Pearl of Africa. He thanked the founding fathers of this collaboration, “some are still with us and others have since passed on” he said. Prof. Kajja said, “I thank KI and Sida for what you have done for Makerere and this country’. He noted that ‘Makerere is a prestigious university but the turbulent times of the 70s and 80s had taken us back. Its collaborations like this one with KI that have picked us up making MakCHS the 2nd best medical training college in sub-Saharan Africa”. Prof. Kajja congratulated the alumni more especially this year as Makerere celebrates 100years. He encouraged the alumni to adjust their thinking to leverage the past, and present to deliver the future noting that while previously it was infectious diseases; today it is changing to emerging infections and non-communicable diseases.
In his remarks, the President of KI – Ole Petter Ottersen congratulated Makerere University as they celebrate 100years this year. It was a pleasure to meet the Vice Chancellor of Makerere earlier today who shared with us the history of the University, he noted. The KI President highlighted that Makerere shares a rich history with KI. He explained that while KI has many international partnerships, the one with Makerere is the flagship collaboration. Ottersen further said, “we look to a further 50years of collaboration and hope to apply a sustainable approach in the new CESH programme. This is not a ‘hit and run’ but we are giving it a long-term perspective”. He expressed his appreciation that following the bad news of September 2020 that the Main Building of Makerere University was burning, he visited the site and happy to see that it is being re-built. He congratulated the alumni from the various nations who have benefited from the collaboration.
Prof. Umar Kakumba, Deputy Vice Chancellor/Academic Affairs represented the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe at the event. Prof. Kakumba in his remarks delivered warm greetings from the Vice Chancellor and Makerere leadership. “I am privileged this evening to welcome KI delegation which is a showcase of the fruits of collaboration. Our universities have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration; it began with research collaboration which grew into capacity building among others, 300 beneficiaries have been aided to-date”.
He appreciated the Government of Sweden which has supported these initiatives noting that on the 9th to 10th May 2022, an international conference showcasing the impactful works supported through Sida over the last 20years will be hosted by Makerere University at Munyonyo Speke Resort. The current strategic direction for Makerere University as an institution is research-led and evidence-based decision making with fostering research training as our niche, Prof. Kakumba said. He reiterated that more than peer-reviewed publications, our research should be translated into products, technologies and policies to inform better livelihoods for our population. Prof. Kakumba thanked MakCHS for the leadership and flagship programmes to support Makerere University’ strategic direction.
The 92nd Guild Ministry of Health is set to host the Annual Makerere Guild Medical Camp, a three-day outreach that will bring free and essential medical services to students, staff, and the surrounding community. The camp will run from 17th to 19th September 2026, from 8:00am to 5:00pm each day, at the Freedom Square.
Themed around promoting student wellness for academic excellence, the medical camp is organised under the leadership of Hon. Wamezaya Ebenezer, the Minister of Health in the 92nd Guild Government, in alliance with several partner organisations supporting the university’s health and wellness agenda. The initiative reflects a growing recognition within student leadership circles that academic performance is closely tied to the physical and mental wellbeing of the university community.
Comprehensive Range of Services
The medical camp will offer a wide range of services designed to address both routine and specialised health needs. On the general health side, attendees will have access to general and specialist medical consultations, allowing students, staff, and community members to seek professional advice on a variety of health concerns without the usual costs associated with private or even public healthcare.
Screening services will also be a central feature of the camp. Organisers have confirmed that sickle cell testing, malaria rapid diagnostic testing, and HIV screening will be available on site, giving participants the opportunity to know their status and receive guidance on appropriate next steps. Eye care services and laboratory diagnostics will round up this category, addressing common but often neglected areas of student health.
Beyond diagnostics and consultations, the camp will provide free essential medicines to those who need them, easing the financial burden that often accompanies treatment even after a diagnosis has been made. Reproductive health counseling will also be offered, giving students a confidential space to discuss matters that are frequently overlooked in general campus health conversations. Mental health counseling completes the list of available services, an inclusion that speaks to the increasing attention being paid to psychological wellbeing within the university community.
A Camp Open to the Wider Community
While the camp is organised by the Guild Ministry of Health and centred on student welfare, its reach extends beyond the student body. Organisers have made it clear that the free medical services will be available to students, staff, and members of the whole Makerere community, positioning the event as a broader public health contribution rather than a strictly internal university affair. This inclusive approach mirrors similar outreach efforts previously undertaken by student leadership and university departments, which have sought to position Makerere University not just as a centre of learning but as an active contributor to community welfare in the areas surrounding its campuses.
Freedom Square, long regarded as the symbolic heart of student activity and expression at Makerere University, was selected as the venue for the three day event. Its central location and historic significance make it an accessible and fitting site for an initiative of this scale, expected to draw considerable numbers of participants over the course of the camp.
Health as a Pillar of Academic Success
The organisers have anchored the medical camp around the message of promoting student wellness for academic excellence, a theme that underscores the connection between health and academic performance. University life often places significant demands on students, both physically and mentally, and untreated health concerns can quietly undermine academic progress long before they become visible crises. By bringing screening, treatment, and counseling services directly to students at no cost, the Guild Ministry of Health is addressing barriers that might otherwise prevent students from seeking care, whether due to cost, distance, or stigma, particularly around mental health and reproductive health matters.
The inclusion of mental health counseling alongside more traditional physical health services is particularly notable. It signals an evolving understanding among student leaders that wellness cannot be addressed through physical checkups alone, and that psychological support deserves equal standing within campus health initiatives. Similarly, the presence of reproductive health counseling reflects an effort to normalise conversations that many young people find difficult to initiate on their own.
What to Expect
Over the three days, participants can expect a structured environment at Freedom Square, with separate service points catering to the different categories of care on offer. Medical professionals will be on hand to conduct consultations and screenings, while counselors will provide guidance on reproductive and mental health matters in a setting designed to protect privacy and encourage openness.
Given the scale of services on offer and the open invitation extended to staff and community members in addition to students, organisers anticipate strong turnout throughout the three day period. Those interested in attending are encouraged to plan their visits within the stated hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm to take full advantage of the services available.
For any inquiries regarding the medical camp, members of the university community and the public have been directed to reach out to Hon. Wamezaya Ebenezer, the Minister of Health, through the contact provided by the Guild Ministry of Health.
Building on a Guild Tradition
The Annual Makerere Guild Medical Camp is not a new concept within student governance at the university. Successive Guild Ministries of Health have used the medical camp as a recurring platform through which they translate campaign promises around student welfare into visible action. Each edition tends to build on the lessons of the one before it, with organisers typically expanding the range of services offered as new partnerships are secured and as feedback from previous camps is incorporated into planning.
This year’s edition, organised under the 92nd Guild Ministry of Health, appears to place particular emphasis on breadth of service, combining preventive screening, curative consultation, and psychosocial support within a single three-day window. The decision to bundle sickle cell testing, malaria and HIV screening alongside eye care and laboratory diagnostics suggests an intention to make the camp a one stop point for health assessment, reducing the need for participants to seek out multiple providers across the city for basic checks they might otherwise postpone indefinitely.
Why Timing Matters
The scheduling of the camp in September places it at a point in the academic calendar when many students are settling back into campus life after recess, a period during which health concerns accumulated over the break, whether physical ailments left unattended or emerging mental health pressures tied to academic anxiety, tend to surface. Offering free consultations and counseling at this juncture allow students to address these concerns early, before they compound into more serious complications that could interfere with coursework, examinations, or general campus participation.
For staff members and residents of the areas surrounding the university, the timing also offers a convenient opportunity to access services that might otherwise require travel to distant health facilities or extended waiting periods within an already strained public health system. In this sense, the camp functions as a modest but meaningful supplement to existing healthcare provision in the vicinity of the university.
As the 17th of September approaches, the Annual Makerere Guild Medical Camp stands as another example of the Guild Ministry of Health stepping beyond the boundaries of policy and advocacy into direct, hands-on service delivery, a model that continues to shape the character of guild ministries at Makerere University. Students, staff, and members of the surrounding community are encouraged to take advantage of the free services on offer and to look out for further communication from the Guild Ministry of Health as the event draws closer.
For more info, reach Hon. Wamezaya on +256784541248
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