A total of 190 students have graduated with diplomas in nursing and midwifery from the Defence Forces Institute of Health Sciences, marking a milestone in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces’ (UPDF) efforts to bolster its healthcare system.
The graduates completed a rigorous two-and-a-half-year training programme at the institute, situated within Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja.
Presiding over the ceremony, the Joint Staff in charge of Formal Education, Sports and Culture, Brig Gen Richard Karemire, said the milestone is part of a broader UPDF strategy to professionalise the force and enhance service delivery in the health sector.
“What you see here today is a deliberate move by strategic leadership to develop cadres that will strengthen the health department in the UPDF and Uganda at large,” Brig Gen Karemire stated. He urged the graduates to uphold patriotism and professionalism, while pursuing further academic advancement to remain competitive in the global health arena.
Brig Gen Karemire also commended President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, for prioritising capacity building, and credited Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the UPDF leadership for emphasising formal education within the military.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Commissioner for Health Education and Training Dr Kisu Musene Safina highlighted the institute’s growing role in strengthening Uganda’s healthcare workforce. She noted the unique combination of military discipline and healthcare service, describing nursing as both a profession and a calling.
“Soldiers are revolutionary cadres, and nursing is a calling. Having a soldier who is also a nurse is excellent,” she said.
Lt Apollo Muhumuza, Principal of the institute, described the graduation as a historic first for the institution, signalling its evolution into a fully-fledged training centre for professional health workers.
“This is a landmark in the realisation of a lasting legacy because it is the first graduation of its kind,” Lt Muhumuza said. He traced the institute’s growth from its establishment in 2007 as a training school for company medics to its accreditation by the Ministry of Education and Sports in 2021 to offer formal diploma programmes in nursing and midwifery.
The ceremony was attended by senior UPDF officers, including Jinja Cantonment Commander Brig Gen Emmanuel Kanyesigye, Junior Staff College Commandant Brig Gen Chris Ogwal, Commandant of the College of Logistics and Engineering Col Chris Kyanku, and Defence General Depot Commander Col Mathias Abigaba, among others.
