Museveni hails IUIU for training medics
Ready to serve. Some of the medical doctors, who graduated from Islamic University in Uganda, take oath at the Mbale Campus in 2019. PHOTO/LEONARD MUKOOLI
President Museveni has lauded the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) for establishing a medical school, saying it will reduce cases of maternal and infant mortality rates in the country.
“With such development in place, the university is implementing the NRM manifesto, which among others, highlights the need to reduce both maternal and infant mortality rates and train more professionals to solve the human resource gap in this sector,” the President said in a speech read by the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Kirunda Kivejinja, during the 27th IUIU graduation ceremony in Mbale District at the weekend.
Mr Museveni said although the medical school is still in its infancy, it was founded on a strong pillars.
He also pledged more government support to the university.
“Government shall contribute some funds towards the establishment of the new faculty of engineering to supplement the university efforts in ensuring quality, affordable and accessible education for all,” Mr Museveni said.
Mr Museveni urged graduates to take advantage of the government programmes, including youth livelihood and operation wealth creation to empower themselves.
The IUIU Rector, Dr Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, said the university had introduced other courses, including Master’s of Arts in Applied Linguistics, Masters of Arts in Literature, PhD in Kiswahili and Luganda as a teaching subject.
“We are also working to start a Master’s and Doctorate degree programmes in Information Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering next academic year under the faculty of Science,” he said.
Dr Sengendo added that during the 2018/2019 academic year, the IUIU faculty of Health Sciences will also be introduced and added to the existing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme.
He said they also have plans to develop IUIU into a community-based university to address the challenges faced by the communities through introduction of technical courses.
The University Council chairperson, Dr Abdulaziz Alsebail, advised the graduates to use the knowledge and skills they have gained to develop their respective countries.
