Uganda Pharmacists Demand Curriculum Overhaul for Better Specialisation

Pharmacy professionals in Uganda have raised alarms about graduates entering the job market without defined specialisation paths, which hampers the country’s push towards specialised healthcare and local drug production.

Speaking at the 6th Uganda Pharmaceutical Symposium 2026 in Kampala, experts pointed to shortcomings in education, research, and oversight as major hurdles to building a capable workforce.

Dr. Shauna Odongo Georgia, a paediatric oncology pharmacist at Uganda Cancer Institute, stressed the need for earlier exposure to niche areas like cancer care, mental health, and emergency medicine. She noted that by their fourth year, many students still lack career focus, limiting their contributions to healthcare.

“Pharmacy opens doors to diverse roles beyond dispensing, but students need guidance and mentorship to explore these opportunities,” she added.

Ms. Precious Ocen, president of Makerere University’s Pharmaceutical Students’ Association, emphasised pharmacists’ lead role in ensuring safe medicines, especially as Uganda ramps up local manufacturing. This comes after Parliament passed the National Drugs and Health Products Authority Bill, 2025, restricting manufacturing oversight to pharmacists.

Ms. Diana Nakato from Cipla Quality Chemicals Industries highlighted lessons from COVID-19, urging stronger academia-industry ties, funding, and local production to cut import reliance and improve medicine access.

Meanwhile, the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda accredited nine universities, including Makerere and Mbarara, to offer Bachelor of Pharmacy programmes, with only their graduates eligible for professional registration.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)