Bibliography

Little information exists on the career paths and destinations of graduates of medical schools from developing countries, in contrast with many such reports from the developed world. I present here perhaps the first report on career paths taken by graduates of Makerere Medical School in Uganda. Twenty seven doctors who graduated from Makerere in 1984 participated in the study. A database was compiled from the graduation list. Information was obtained through a focus group discussion (three doctors), an email questionnaire (17, including the three focus group members), telephone interviews (six), and in-depth interviews (four). Seventy seven doctors (58 men) graduated in 1984. Reliable information was obtained for 96% (74 (56 men), of whom 22 (19 men) are dead). Seven died between 1984 and 1989, six between 1990 and 1994, six between 1995 and 1999, and three since 2000. The presumed causes of death (death certificates were not available) were AIDS (11); suicide (six); road traffic injuries, hepatitis, and alcohol related disease (one each); and unknown (two). Five of the suicides were related to knowledge or fear of being HIV positive.