UPDF Graduates 190 Nurses , Midwives to Boost Military Healthcare

A total of 190 students have graduated with diplomas in nursing and midwifery from the Defence Forces Institute of Health Sciences, marking a significant step in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces’ (UPDF) efforts to strengthen its healthcare system.

The graduates completed a rigorous two-and-a-half-year training programme at the institute located within Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja.

Presiding over the ceremony, the Joint Staff in charge of Formal Education, Sports and Culture, Brig Gen Richard Karemire, described the milestone as part of a broader strategy by the UPDF leadership to professionalise the force and enhance service delivery in the health sector.

“What you see here today is a deliberate move by the strategic leadership to develop cadres that will strengthen the health department in the UPDF and Uganda at large,” Brig Gen Karemire said.

He urged the graduates to uphold patriotism and professionalism in their service, while encouraging them to pursue further academic advancement to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global health environment.

Karemire also commended President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, for his continued emphasis on capacity building, and credited Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the UPDF leadership for prioritising 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 said the graduation underscores the institute’s growing role in strengthening Uganda’s healthcare workforce.

She emphasised the unique value of combining military discipline with 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 noted.

The Principal of the institute, Lt Apollo Muhumuza, described the ceremony as a historic first for the institution, signalling its transition 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 evolution 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 programmes in nursing and midwifery.

Muhumuza added that the institute is now accredited to offer diploma courses, positioning it as a key contributor to the country’s health education system.

The ceremony was attended by several 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.