By Kefa Senoga
On the second day of her medical internship, Namayanja Christabel faced a test no textbook could have prepared her for. It was night shift. She was asked to confirm the death of a patient. The hospital was St. Francis Naggalama Hospital in Mukono.
“The child was just eight years old,” she recalls. “When I arrived, he was barely breathing. We tried resuscitation, but all efforts were futile, and he didn’t make it.”
It fell on Namayanja, a young and fresh intern, to deliver the devastating news to the grieving mother.
“I was hurting too, but I had to stay composed and professional,” she said. “That’s what this job demands of us.”
For Namayanja, this moment was a clear reminder of some of the weight of the career she had opted for – being the bearer of the sad news to relatives who are looking up to you with the hope of saving their loved one.
After completing the first half of her internship at the hospital, Namayanja says that she was transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital for the final half, which she is set to complete by July 2025.
To practice medicine in Uganda, all medical graduates are required to undergo a one-year mandatory internship. It involves supervised medical work, where interns are deployed to train in hospitals under the supervision of senior doctors. However, due to the shortage of medical personnel, most of the government hospitals rely heavily on medical interns to attend to overwhelming numbers in medical facilities.
“The journey to practicing medicine has been long, filled with sacrifice and deep resolve,” Namayanja explains.
She studied at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine and graduated in July 2024.
“My parents always encouraged me to focus on science disciplines,” she says. “They saw this path even before I did.”
Namayanja’s parents – Christopher and Florence Bwanika – wanted her to pursue medicine. She says that they encouraged her to put emphasis on science subjects in secondary school in order to prepare her for this path. Namayanja studied at the Church-founded Gayaza High School, near Kampala.
She believes that the knowledge she acquires in medical training enables her to offer the first line of treatment to her close relatives. Despite the intensity of the work in the medical field, Namayanja says that she finds fulfillment in the everyday victories.
“The most rewarding moment is when a patient walks out of the hospital, and you remember how bad their condition was when they came in,” she said.
Namayanja has already completed rotations in several departments in her internship. She has handled minor surgeries, prescribed treatment plans and discharged patients after noticeable recovery. In essence, she notes that she has been actively practicing general medicine, applying what she learned in class to real-life patient care.
She highlights that the medical profession is like the military, noting that when she was still in medical school, she thought the intense schedules and tight deadlines were the toughest it could get, but once she stepped foot in the field, she realized it only gets more demanding.
A doctor’s work schedule doesn’t recognize weekends or public holidays. Any day can be a full working day – because people do not make appointments with sickness.
“We usually have a day off, the most you can have in a week is one day off,” Namayanja said. “On average, I work about 12 hours a day. It’s only during the occasional free moment that I get to catch up with family and friends.”.
Amid the medical grind, Namayanja keeps her eyes on the bigger picture. Beyond treating patients, she hopes to, one day, influence Uganda’s health policies.
“Working at Mulago Hospital has opened my eyes to how unequal access to quality care is,” she notes. “I don’t know how yet, but I want to be part of the solution, maybe through leadership, or another platform.”
She’s also set her sights beyond the hospital ward. “I want to improve my financial literacy. It’s something many medical professionals struggle with,” she said. “And in this digital era, I’m interested in AI and other technologies. The world is moving fast, and I want to stay equipped.”
Despite all the learning that happens on the job, Namayanja believes UCU’s training gave her a strong foundation.
“The lecturers really prepare you,” she said. “Everything I’m doing now, I was taught in class in one way or another. But nothing prepares you for the emotional reality of being in the ward. You learn that during your internship.”
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