Ugandan becomes the first female anesthesiologist to obtain PhD in East Africa

By Our Reporter

Kampala: Dr. Isabella Epiu, 37, has become the first female anesthesiologist to obtain a PhD in East Africa.

Epiu attained her PhD in Medicine focusing on Neuro-Respiratory Physiology and Health Economics from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Ordinarily, she becomes a specialist in anesthesia, critical care medicine, emergency car medicine, intensive care medicine, and pain medicines.

In a speech read for him by Vice President Jessica Alupo, President Yoweri Museveni said that, as a nation, they were proud to celebrate with you, Epiuto, the fruits of your hard work, diligence, and discipline.

“Uganda celebrates you today for your outstanding contribution in the health sector and for being the first female anesthesiologist with a PhD in the whole of East Africa,” Museveni said during a Thanksgiving service at Kololo Independence Ground today.

He thanked Epiu’s parents, guardians, sponsors, and the people of Ngora district for their contribution towards her education, saying that without their support, she would not have come this far.

The president described Epiu’s achievement as a milestone. Museveni said that due to her exceptional work in research, he was reliably informed that Epiu has won several awards, namely the 2016 Media Award from a USA-based society of obstetric anesthesia and perinatology, the 2013 World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) research award, the 2014 award by the USA national institutes of health as a postdoctoral clinical research fellow, and the most recent one being the 2018 PhD scholarship.

While quoting Psalms 1I6:12–13 KJV, President Museveni congratulated Epiu for all the above achievements.

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD,” it reads in part.”

He further noted that Epiu’s graduation was therefore a ceremony of giving thanks to God for the gift of wisdom and his bountifulness to you.

The president of the government is proud to have with them a resourceful person like her, and he is looking forward to seeing Epiu make a formidable contribution to the health sector from the wealth of research experience you have attained over the years.

He urged young people to borrow a leaf from the example she has set. “As you all know, education is the key to the socio-economic development of any society,” he said.

Museveni emphasized that the NRM government has over the years made major strategic decisions in the field of education and thanked all the people of Ngora district for the support they have continuously given to the National Resistance Movement.

He said the vision of the NRM government is to transform society through industrialization, adding that the government is committed to continuing with developmental efforts, with particular emphasis on increasing household incomes.

Epiu’s father, Dr. Pastor Richard Honorat Epiu, told the president that the lure of graduates seeking greener pastures abroad has been a daunting problem for many decades.

“Brain drain from the African continent is a parasite that hinders development,” Honorat said.

Honorat, a pastor at Deliverance Church Uganda, explained that he was once offered the opportunity to pastor a new church in the US but declined the offer, saying,

“I am Ugandan; I will return to and contribute to the development of Uganda,” he said.

Dr. Epiu attributed all the above achievements to God. “It has been a long journey to have all these achievements to my name in only 37 years. He’s a miracle, God,” she said.

She noted that the journey of education hasn’t been easy as a girl child, as her dad has been traveling a lot. Her mother is deceased. “Young people should not be limited by what they see; they should continue to push for a better future,” Epiu advised.

She appreciated the government of Uganda, especially the State House and the World Bank, for all the scholarships she’s been offered throughout her education journey.

Dr. Epiu thanked President Museveni for improving surgical anesthesia in the country over the years by ensuring intensive care units are established in all regional referral hospitals.

She said over the last 10 years, from her research conducted in several East African hospitals since 2012, she has presented several opportunities to improve surgical outcomes in the East African region.

“The presence of a strong anesthesiology and critical care team, including access to an operational intensive care unit, is vital in all referral hospitals to reduce delays in care and also to ensure that the great work by the surgeons is not lost by a death on the table during an ongoing complex surgery or during the immediate post-operative period,” Epiu said.

The Lancet Commission on Surgery reports that 5 billion people worldwide lack access to safe surgery when needed, leading to catastrophic losses of 3 trillion dollars.

She noted that through her research in East Africa, they identified significant shortages of both the personnel, equipment, and protocols needed to provide safe anesthetic care for obstetric surgical cases across East Africa.

The doctor emphasized that there is an urgent need to strengthen health systems and improve surgical outcomes in developing countries through partnerships with local and international organizations, policymakers, and governments to provide solutions to this crisis.

She told the gathering that her dream is that, with the support of the government, we shall set up a center of excellence for groundbreaking research and training in collaboration with key universities in Uganda, across the East African region, and Africa at large.

Epiu believes this will be achieved through strong collaborations with local and international researchers and professors in the USA, Australia, the UK, China, and Europe.

She said, together with her team, she’s committed to advanced training and the implementation of high-technology surgical and anesthesia services, including robotic surgery, through telemedicine.

Epiu explained that such advances in technology will address the current gaps in performing complex surgeries here in Uganda and prevent complications that may arise during surgical procedures.

She explained that she’s able to champion this with government support to provide the latest technology for telemedicine and provide advanced equipment and essential training with a budget of 120 million dollars.

Epiu said with her current expertise and skills and the specialized doctors in Uganda, we now have the capacity to reduce government expenditure on international travels for treatment to India, Nairobi, London, or the USA, and in the long run, we shall end medical tourism.

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