As Uganda ushers in President Museveni’s seventh term, the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has issued a congratulatory message highlighting four decades of progress in the pharmacy profession while urging government to address persistent gaps in the health system.
PSU notes that since 1986, Uganda’s pharmaceutical sector has undergone major transformation, including the start of degree-level pharmacy training at Makerere University in 1988.
Today, the country has nine accredited pharmacy training universities, a milestone the society says reflects sustained investment in health workforce development.
Established under the Pharmacy and Drugs Act of 1970, PSU says it has grown to a membership of 2,216 pharmacists and has played a central role in regulating standards, advancing professional development, and advocating for improved pharmaceutical services across the country.
The society points to key achievements including accreditation of training institutions, continuous professional development for pharmacists, and advocacy for Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) guidelines aimed at improving medicine management and patient safety.
However, PSU warns that critical gaps remain in the health system, particularly in human resource deployment. Despite an approved staffing structure, many public health facilities—including district hospitals and Health Centre IVs—still operate without pharmacists.
The society says this contributes to medicine wastage, expiries, and irrational use of drugs, even though a large portion of the health budget is spent on medical supplies.
In a statement, Stephen Lutoti, Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda, emphasized both appreciation and concern;
“While we celebrate the tremendous progress made over the last 40 years in pharmaceutical education and practice, we remain deeply concerned that pharmacists are still not adequately recruited into the public health system. Many hospitals continue to operate without a pharmacist, yet they handle significant volumes of medicines and health supplies,” Lutoti said.
PSU has now made a series of formal requests to government as the new term begins.
The society has called for immediate recruitment of pharmacists to fill existing public service positions, support for the completion and operationalization of a PSU drug research centre whose shell structure has already been constructed, and the introduction of scholarships for specialized pharmacy training in fields such as industrial pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, and pharmaceutical supply chain management.
The society also called for increased consideration of pharmacists in national leadership appointments, including cabinet positions and presidential advisory roles, arguing that their expertise is essential in strengthening Uganda’s healthcare and medicines management systems.
PSU says these interventions would not only improve service delivery but also ensure better utilization of the country’s health budget and reduce losses linked to poor medicines management.
As Uganda marks a new political chapter, the society maintains that strengthening the pharmaceutical workforce is key to achieving a more efficient and accountable healthcare system.
