Horror: Makerere Sounds Alarm Over Lack Of Dead Bodies For Students’ Training, Appeals To Ugandans To Donate

By Swift Reporter

Makerere University has appealed to Ugandans to consider donating their bodies to science after death, warning that a growing shortage of cadavers is increasingly affecting the training of future doctors and other health professionals.

The call was made by Prof. Erisa Mwaka, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University, who described anatomy as one of the most critical foundation courses in medical education.

According to Prof. Mwaka, the university’s Department of Anatomy has traditionally relied on unclaimed bodies from public hospitals for teaching purposes. However, the number of bodies available for medical training has significantly declined, creating challenges for students who depend on hands-on anatomical studies.

“Ours is a foundational course on anatomy. Majorly we teach this course using human remains. But over the years, much as the population is increasing, there is a scarcity of dead bodies,” Mwaka said.

The shortage has prompted the university to explore alternative approaches that are widely practiced in developed countries, where individuals voluntarily pledge their bodies for medical education and scientific research after death.

Prof. Mwaka encouraged Ugandans to consider formally expressing their wishes through wills and other legal arrangements.

“For example, you can write in your will that, ‘when I pass on, I donate my body for medical education.’ If you write that in your will, your family hands your body to our Department of Anatomy for learning,” he explained.

He added that after the bodies have been used for educational purposes, the remains are treated with dignity and returned to relatives.

“After they have used the body for learning, usually we hand the bones back to the family for burial,” he said.

Medical experts say studying real human bodies remains an irreplaceable component of health sciences education despite advances in technology and computer-based simulations. Donated bodies help students gain a detailed understanding of human anatomy, train surgeons and allow researchers to test new medical procedures before they are performed on patients.

Body donation programs are common in countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia, where individuals can register as donors during their lifetime and provide consent for their bodies to be used in medical education and research.

Under such arrangements, medical schools retain the bodies for varying periods depending on educational needs. Some institutions use donated bodies for several months, while others may retain them for up to three years before cremation or returning the remains to families in accordance with the donor’s wishes.

The appeal by Makerere comes amid growing demand for medical education in Uganda, with health experts emphasizing that adequate anatomical training is essential for producing competent healthcare professionals capable of serving the country’s expanding population.

University officials hope that increased public awareness about body donation will help bridge the gap and ensure future generations of doctors receive the practical training necessary to provide quality healthcare.