The Ministry of Health has unearthed four fake nursing institutions operating illegally in Masaka region.
In the crackdown by the ministry officials to eliminate quack health attendants in the region, four fraudulent nursing schools have been discovered and ordered to close operation.
Micheal Kayizzi, the Regional Supervisor of the Allied Health Professional Council, identified the institutions as Mbirizi Muslim nursing school, Kyetume School of comprehensive nursing, both in Lwengo district, Buyoga nursing School in Bukomansimbi district and Nserester Complex nursing school, in Nyendo Township in Masaka Municipality.
Kayizzi says that these have been operating illegally and produced fake health workers that had become a threat to the region. He says that none of the schools were found with valid operational licenses and neither did their teaching staff possess the necessary qualification.
Kayizzi explains that the decision to close down the four schools was reached at following a survey by the Ministry that discovered that most of the quack health workers in the region were products of these institutions.
He revealed that 54% of the health practitioners in the greater Masaka were incompetent, and 85% of these graduated from these four schools.
He noted that although Nserester Complex was closed down last year, they have reportedly been conducting lessons to students during late night hours, and masquerading as a vocational institute during the day.
Second year students at Buyoga nursing school have reportedly been the instructors of the students in the first year, which Kayizzi says bleaches the training guidelines.
Kayizzi say that papers issued in these institutions are fake and were annulled by the ministry of health.
The affected institutions have been charging their students between 800,000 to 1.5 million shillings as tuition per semester.
Kayizzi said more than 200 students have been affected by the closure of the four nursing institutions. He has warned that the directors of these institutions will be arrested if they happen to fail to respond to the closure order issued.
According to the Masaka District Health officer, Dr Stuart Musisi, the fake institutions have been producing half-backed health workers who have been claiming to be multi-purpose practitioners.
Musisi cautioned parents against enrolling their children in institutions which are not registered.
