Francis Omaswa

Francis Gervase Omaswa, MBChB, MMed, FRCS (Edin), FCS (ECSA), is a Ugandan cardiovascular surgeon, academic and administrator.[1] He is the chancellor of Busitema University, a public university, one of the 41 licensed universities in the country, as at February 2015.[2] He has served in that capacity since June 2009.[3]

Francis Omaswa
Born	1943 (age 76–77) Mukura, Kumi District, Uganda
Nationality	Ugandan
Citizenship	Uganda
Alma mater	Makerere University (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) (MMed in Surgery) Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (Fellow of the COSECSA)
Occupation	Cardiothoracic surgeon, academic, academic administrator
Years active	1969–present
Known for	Academics and administration
Title	Chancellor Busitema University
Spouse(s)	Catherine Nyapidi Omaswa

Background and education

Omaswa was born in Mukula Village, Kumi District, in the Eastern Region of Uganda, circa 1943. His parents were Yafesi Ijookit and Matilda Acom. He attended Mukura Primary School from P1 to P4, then transferred to Koloin Primary School from P5 to P6. After passing his Primary Leaving Exanimations, he joined Holy Angels Junior Secondary School in Soroti District for his Junior One and Two. He then studied at St. Mary's College Kisubi, for both his O-Level and A-Level education. In 1964, he was admitted to the Makerere University School of Medicine, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. In 1974, he received a Master of Medicine in surgery degree from Makerere University. He subsequently was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He is also a fellow of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa, a college he helped found.[4]

Career

Following his internship, Omaswa worked as a medical officer from 1970 until September 1974, when he left for further studies in the United Kingdom. He trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon. He then worked for the National Health Service (NHS), eventually becoming a Senior Registrar in cardio-thoracic surgery there.

In 1979, he accepted an invitation by the Kenyan Government to become the head of cardio-thoracic surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital and the University of Nairobi. He worked in that capacity until 1982. From 1983 until 1986, he served as the Medical Director and Chief of Surgery at Ngora Freda Carr Hospital, in Ngora, Teso sub-region. From 1987 until 1992 he served as the first Medical Director of Uganda Heart Institute, which he helped to establish. He concurrently served as Professor of Surgery at Makerere University School of Medicine. From 1992 until 1999, he served as the Chief Government Surgeon and head of the Quality Assurance Program that he established at the Ministry of Health. In April 1999, he became the Director General of health services at the Uganda Ministry of Health, a position he held until 2005 when the WHO director general, Dr. Margaret Chan, invited him to set up the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). He moved to Geneva, Switzerland to set up the Alliance.[5] He returned to Uganda in 2008 and was appointed chancellor at Busitema University in 2009.[4]

Other responsibilities

Omaswa has a very active professional life. In addition to the tasks outlined above, he has the following responsibilities:

• Member, Board of Directors, Uganda Heart Institute[6]
• Member of the Institute of Medicine - elected in November 2014.[7]
• Chairman of the task force to set up Teso University, a proposed private institution of higher education, based in Soroti[4]

Omaswa is married to Dr. Catherine Nyapidi Omaswa, an anesthesiologist, also a graduate of Makerere.[4]

Honours and awards

• 2019 Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in the Medical Services category. [8]

See also

• Education in Uganda
• Ugandan university leaders
• List of universities in Uganda
• List of medical schools in Uganda
• Uganda Heart Institute

References

1. MLO (2009). "Brief Professional & Academic Profile of Professor Francis Omaswa". Ministerial-leadership.org (MLO). Retrieved 21 February 2015.
2. UNAS (2014). "List of Accredited Universities In Uganda". Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS). Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
3. Nampala, Moses (2 June 2009). "Busitema University Gets Chancellor". New Vision. Kampala. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
4. Okiror, Ben (1 October 2008). "Omaswa A Man of Many Firsts". New Vision. Kampala. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
5. Schatz, Joseph J (23 February 2008). "Francis Omaswa: Tackling the Shortage of Health Workers". The Lancet, Volume 371, No. 9613, p643, 23 February 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
6. Ssebunnya, Robert (27 February 2013). "Mulago Can Now Handle Open Heart Surgery". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
7. Ninsiima, Racheal (4 November 2014). "Uganda: Professor Omaswa Elected to The Institute of Medicine". The Observer (Uganda) via AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
8. "Laureates of the Third Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 2 October 2019.

External links

• Website of Busitema University

Preceded by None	Chancellor of Busitema University 2009 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent