At the 73rd sitting of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) held on 13th October 2023, it was resolved that intake/admission of students to all medical-related programmes should be only once a year.

This decision has been communicated to all Vice Chancellors and Principals of Medical and Health Training Institutions in a written by Professor Mary Okwakol, the Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education.

The Council reached this decision after engagements with different higher education stakeholders who raised concerns about the high number of students graduating from the medical and health sciences programmes from higher education institutions.

The Ministry of Education and Sports and Ministry of Health Inter-Ministerial Standing Coordination Committee has categorically indicated that there are challenges encountered in students’ internship placements majorly attributed to two intakes a year by some institutions, NCHE said in the letter.

The challenges include the inadequate numbers of supervising staff, the limited number of facilities with requisite equipment to support students learning and budgetary constraints, among others, it added.

The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to communicate the Council’s decision and urge all higher education institutions to implement the same for all medical-related programmes at your institutions, it revealed.