Kanginima Nursing School

I have only been in Uganda for two weeks, but I have had many opportunities and am continuing to experience just how important nursing is for positive patient outcomes. Their ability to care for and adapt to wide and varied diagnoses is crucial. As clear as the importance of the nursing role is, I have seen there is still a great need to increase the number of nurses and improve quality of institutions producing nurses.

In the previous post, I promised to talk more about the Kanginima Hospital and nursing school, so that is what this post is dedicated to.

As mentioned earlier, Dr. Mutono worked hard to access fresh water, decrease malnutrition, and foster a community that was safe, both socially and medically. He has recognized the value of quality nursing care and dreams to train and equip future nurses. From the beginning of his endeavors, Dr. Mutono knew nurses to be the frontline of healthcare. Because of this, he built the Kinginima hospital with a wing specifically dedicated to one day becoming a nursing school.

This wing is equipped with classrooms for instruction and lab rooms for clinical practice. It is even directly attached to the operating theaters for convenient observation hours.

The vision is to bring in 150 students who will become the newest cadre of safe and excellent care providers. Before this dream can be met, a dormitory needs to be built. As Kanginima is far from major cities, the school would need to be able to house the students. This need for housing is, unfortunately, one of many trials that the Kinginima nursing school faces. Funding and support are in short supply, making this dream be placed on the back burner for now. Delaying the opening of the school only perpetuates the low numbers of adequately prepared health professionals available to the many people requiring care. A catalyst needs to incite change somewhere in the health system.

But how does change come?

I had an amazing conversation with a Ugandan physical therapist who is a professor in the States, developing a program to bring students to Uganda. Together we explored what brings about sustainable change in a country such as Uganda. Although donations and gifts can be helpful, what truly lasts is a partnership based on shared values and a commitment to follow through on projects. Uganda doesn’t need a “hand out,” but a hand to come alongside and stand against the injustices of poor healthcare accessibility.  

A dormitory, textbooks, faculty… There are many pieces Kanginima requires before their doors can be opened to students, but there is one key factor that will overcome these small road blocks: passion. There are passionate individuals, here in Uganda and a few in the states, longing to make this dream a reality. I, for one, can say just how excited I am for the day Kinginima celebrates their first graduating class of nursing students. The necessity for quality nursing care is great, not only in Kanginima, but across Uganda, and it is the commitment of those dedicated to taking a stand against subpar health care that will truly bring about change.

I know you may wonder why I felt led to write a whole blog on a school that isn’t even open yet, but I couldn’t help it. Walking into that building, I didn’t see empty desks and dusty beds. I saw classrooms filled with young men and women eager to learn about the foundations and implications of nursing care. I saw a space that would equip Ugandans to care for their own. I saw a step being taken to make healthy living the standard, not the exception. I may have only finished my own nursing degree a month ago, but the pride I feel for this profession fuels my desire to advocate for others who long for the opportunity to join me in this life changing career.