Education Exchange Programme
The Education Exchange Programme (Ed Ex) is part of Mildmay’s wider Uganda Health Programme, strengthening healthcare through shared learning, clinical experience and long-term partnership.
Building Skills, Strengthening Healthcare, Saving Lives in Uganda.
Stronger
at Home.
Ed Ex connects UK clinicians with healthcare teams in Uganda, creating a two-way exchange of skills and knowledge that improves patient care, builds professional capacity and supports resilient health systems, both overseas and in the UK.
Rooted in collaboration rather than short-term intervention, the Programme reflects Mildmay’s belief that sustainable healthcare is built through partnership, trust and mutual learning.
Why the Education Exchange Programme matters
Health systems across the world are under increasing pressure. In Uganda, limited access to specialist care, workforce shortages and high levels of unmet health need place significant strain on frontline services.
At the same time, UK clinicians benefit from experience beyond the NHS, particularly in settings that demand adaptability, strong clinical judgement and holistic care.
Ed Ex responds to both needs by enabling clinicians to learn with one another in real-world clinical environments, strengthening care where it is most needed while enriching professional practice at home.
How it Works
Clinicians from the UK are based at Mildmay Uganda Hospital, where they work alongside local healthcare teams to treat patients with complex and advanced health needs.
This includes care for people living with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, alongside a growing number of patients with cancer, diabetes and other long-term conditions. Working in this environment gives visiting clinicians direct experience of managing advanced disease in resource-limited settings, under the supervision of experienced local teams.
Through this shared clinical practice, UK clinicians develop adaptability, teamwork, leadership and clinical skills that they bring back into the NHS. Ugandan patients benefit from enhanced care and skills exchange, while UK patients benefit when clinicians return home with broader experience and strengthened judgement.
It is a genuine two-way flow of knowledge and experience, strengthening healthcare systems in both countries.
Highlights include:
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Hands-On Learning: UK clinicians are exposed to conditions such as malaria and tuberculosis in resource-limited settings in the Global South, expanding their clinical repertoire.
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Cultural Exchange: Participants gain a deeper appreciation of different healthcare systems, practices, and community contexts, strengthening collaboration and mutual understanding.
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Capacity Building: Through knowledge exchange, Ugandan healthcare professionals benefit from the introduction of new skills and practices that improve patient care.
"We were so grateful for the chance to take part in the programme. It has been an incredible opportunity to experience healthcare in a very different setting, share knowledge with colleagues in Uganda, and bring home insights that will strengthen patient care in the NHS."
Dr Helen Rochford And Dr Amy Cleese, the trainee GPs who completed the pilot programme at Kumi Hospital in 2023
Benefits for clinicians in the UK
The Education Exchange Programme offers UK clinicians; including trainee doctors, therapists and allied health professionals, a rare opportunity to develop their skills in healthcare environments that differ significantly from those in the UK.
By working alongside Ugandan colleagues who routinely manage complex care in challenging environments, participants learn from local expertise while gaining hands-on experience with fewer diagnostics, limited equipment and high patient demand. This two-way learning strengthens clinical judgement, adaptability and problem-solving skills that UK clinicians take back into NHS practice.
Key professional benefits include:
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Exposure to conditions and disease presentations rarely seen in the UK, often at more advanced stages
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Strengthened confidence in managing clinical risk and uncertainty
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Enhanced teamwork, communication and leadership skills
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Greater understanding of health inequalities and global health systems.
The Programme is aligned with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum, supporting holistic practice, health promotion and safeguarding. It also contributes to the NHS Healthcare Leadership Model, helping clinicians develop the resilience and systems-thinking required in today’s health services.
Participants report that Ed Ex enhances professional development, employability and reflective practice, with learning that continues to inform patient care long after returning to the UK.
Benefits for healthcare services in Uganda
Ed Ex delivers meaningful, sustainable benefits to healthcare services in Uganda by strengthening local capacity rather than replacing it.
Visiting clinicians work in partnership with Ugandan health professionals, providing high-quality clinical care while sharing knowledge, skills and experience through day-to-day collaboration and mentoring.
The Programme supports:
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Improved access to quality care for patients with complex needs
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Skills exchange that strengthens clinical confidence and practice
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Professional development and morale among local healthcare teams
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Long-term relationships that enable continued learning and collaboration.
By embedding Ed Ex within Mildmay’s wider Uganda Health Programme, placements contribute to system strengthening rather than short-term delivery, supporting services that are community-based, locally led and designed for long-term resilience.
Our partnerships in Uganda
The Education Exchange Programme was initially piloted in partnership with Kumi Hospital, allowing Mildmay to test and refine the model of short, supervised clinical placements in a resource-limited setting. This pilot phase helped shape the Programme’s structure, learning objectives and safeguarding frameworks.
Following this successful pilot, Ed Ex is now delivered in partnership with Mildmay Uganda Hospital, our longstanding clinical partner and one of the most established specialist healthcare providers in the country.
This transition reflects the Programme’s growth and its integration into Mildmay’s broader health work in Uganda.
Why Mildmay Uganda
Mildmay Uganda Hospital plays a critical role in Uganda’s national healthcare landscape, delivering specialist care in HIV, sexual health, rehabilitation and chronic disease management.
Working closely with the Ministry of Health, Mildmay Uganda provides both hospital-based and community-based services, reaching tens of thousands of people each year.
The Mildmay Uganda Group operates across multiple regions and settings, with a broad portfolio that includes:
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Specialist inpatient and outpatient clinical services
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Community outreach and primary healthcare
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Training and mentoring of healthcare professionals
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Public health research and health systems strengthening
This scale and breadth make Mildmay Uganda an ideal partner for Ed Ex, offering a safe, supervised and clinically rich environment for visiting clinicians, while ensuring placements contribute meaningfully to local service delivery and long-term capacity building.
Mildmay Uganda Group photos
Part of Mildmay’s Uganda Health Programme
Ed Ex is one strand of Mildmay’s wider Uganda Health Programme, delivered in partnership with Mildmay Uganda, the Ministry of Health and local communities.
Our work in Uganda focuses on:
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Improving access to essential healthcare
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Strengthening the health workforce
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Supporting inclusive, community-based services
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Building sustainable systems that respond to local need
The Education Exchange Programme supports this vision by investing in people: clinicians, patients and communities, and ensuring learning flows in both directions.
Supporting professional training in the UK
Training as a doctor, nurse or therapist in the UK requires many years of structured education and supervised practice.
However, opportunities to gain experience in global health or low-resource settings are increasingly limited and often financially inaccessible.
Ed Ex helps address this gap by ensuring clinicians can undertake placements in Uganda without personal financial burden. Charitable support covers essential travel, accommodation and clinical costs, enabling participation based on learning value rather than personal means.
By supporting Ed Ex, you are investing in:
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The future NHS workforce
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Stronger global health systems
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Better patient care in both the UK and Uganda
Programme overview
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Placement length: 14 days
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Placements per year: 1 - 3
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Clinicians per placement: 2
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Total annual cost: £18,000
Each placement for two UK clinicians costs approximately £3,000, covering travel, accommodation and clinical expenses.
How you can help
Your support enables clinicians to take part in the Education Exchange Programme and helps strengthen healthcare services in Uganda for the long term.
Every donation contributes to shared learning, stronger health systems and improved outcomes for patients and communities.
See also:
Partner-led Innovation Fund
Small, low-cost projects identified by Mildmay Uganda and frontline partners that can be rapidly designed, funded and delivered to address practical gaps in care.
These targeted initiatives allow us to test solutions, respond quickly to emerging needs, and deliver immediate, tangible benefits for patients, such as adherence tools and simple service improvements, while informing wider programme development.
Since 2002, more than 2,000 children and adolescents have received psychosocial services and economic support.
By moving to a Universal Fund model, we ensure that healthcare, education, and food security are delivered equitably to all young people in our care, regardless of individual sponsorship status.