Big Foreign Market For Graduate Nurses

New Vision (Kampala)
September 21, 2002
Posted to the web September 23, 2002
Geresom Musamali
Kampala

MEDICAL ISSUES: Bukenya (right) listens to Buchanan at the graduation ceremony

THE Minister for the Presidency, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, said during the inaugural graduation ceremony at the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Kampala on Wednesday that there is a big market for graduate nurses and other medical professionals other than doctors in the United States, Canada and Australia.

This was the first AKU graduation ceremony held outside Pakistan.

Bukenya said the Government would assist institutions that trained graduate nurses, medical technologists, and graduate paramedics, to satisfy local and export markets.

He said the Government would work closely with the Aga Khan University to meet foreign demand in addition to local needs.

"The AKU is a result of liberalisation and it is coming in to provide a valuable resource. We would like to see more such institutions established and we promise to assist them as much as we can," he said.

Fifty seven students, including two Aga Khan High School teachers who studied for their Masters at the main campus in Karachi, graduated.

Over 50 nurses that have been admitted for degree courses this year, were welcomed officially.

Health state minister Mike Mukula, Kampala Mayor John Ssebaana Kizito, AKU founding Trustee Dr. Robert Buchanan and AKU President Shamsh Kassim-Lakha were present.