Private university fights closure of its medical school

Catholic Church-owned Uzima University has criticised closure of its medical school.

Yesterday, the management of the institution vowed to appeal the decision by the East Africa Community Partner States National Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulatory Councils.

Vice Chancellor Cosmas Otieno alleged the institution was wrongly targeteds.

Prof Otieno claimed the facilities, which were discredited by the experts, were unrivalled in the region.

“The institution has done a lot to comply with the required standards and past reports have given our School of Medicine a clean bill health,” said the VC.

He claimed the university was being targeted for being honest with the experts, unlike other institutions he claimed could have compromised the findings. “We are a Catholic institution and we have always done our best to provide the best services to the people. We are appalled by the decision by the experts,” said the VC.

Dean of the School of Medicine Boniface Ganda also claimed the institution had a state-of-the art laboratory as well as enough staff to support its activities.

“The report has glaring inconsistencies and its recommendation that we transfer students to other institutions is not possible. We will appeal,” said Dr Ganda.

The report by experts has thrown the fate of 217 students who have been studying at the institution in disarray. The VC disputed the report, calling it a misrepresentation of the institution’s status.