Impact of Global Health scholarship programs in the Faculty of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Abstract

Introduction: Since 2011, the Faculty of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) has received several scholarship awards to students in priority health science-related programs. The scholarships are intended to build capacity in health service delivery at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) and the neighboring communities. We conducted an impact evaluation of the scholarship program ten years since the first cohort of scholars was admitted. Methods A mixed methods cross-sectional design was employed. Past and present scholars were requested to complete an extensive online survey assessing demographics, academic accomplishments, employment status, perceived impacts, and career satisfaction. Qualitative data on scholars’ impacts were collected using open-ended questions in the online tool. For each question, the data were analyzed by deductive thematic content analysis. Results Fifty (50) scholars representing 32.5% responded, of whom 36 (72%) were alumni. Most of the scholars were male (n = 30; 60%). Master of Medicine (n = 29; 58%) and Master of Nursing Science (n = 20; 40%) had the majority of respondents. The scholarship schemes included First Mile (n = 29; 58%), Kayanja (n = 12; 24%), Paiko (n = 5; 10%) and Seed (n = 4; 8%). The majority of the scholarships supported both tuition and research fees (n = 41; 82%), the rest being partial. Career advancement was undertaken by 8 (16%) of the scholars in the form of fellowships (n = 3; 6%), other masters (n = 3; 6%) and PhDs (n = 3; 6%), with some students having attained a combination of these. All scholars belonged to at least one health professional association. Over 88% (n = 32) of the alumni and 28% (n = 4) of the students were employed. The majority of those employed were in the public sector (n = 24; 66.7%), mainly the health sector (n = 18; 50%), academia (n = 14; 38.9) or both (n = 4; 11.1%). All the scholars in employment were based in Uganda. High levels of career satisfaction and self-perception of positive impact were reported. The scholars generally perceived that both the scholarship and the educational program were relevant for their career advancement and had enabled them to make a positive impact in healthcare at the community level. Conclusions MUST scholars reported valuable impacts on their communities via the provision of better-quality healthcare post-training. This reaffirms the value of targeted specialized training of health workers through scholarships and program development and the need for continued scholarship support for future scholars. The findings should act as an impetus to inform relevant improvements and standardization of the scholarship program and educational content by all stakeholders.