The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has defended its decision to withdraw professional recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), insisting that university accreditation and eligibility to enter the pharmacy profession are governed by separate statutory responsibilities.
In a statement on Wednesday, PSU Secretary Dr. Stephen Lutoti said the decision communicated on October 19 did not revoke the programme’s accreditation by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), but addressed the professional regulator’s responsibility to ensure that pharmacy graduates meet the applicable requirements for entry into the profession.
The statement follows public criticism, including remarks attributed to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, suggesting that PSU’s decision interfered with NCHE’s mandate because the university programme remains accredited.
Dr. Lutoti said the criticism reflected a misunderstanding of the respective legal responsibilities of the two institutions.
“Accreditation of a university programme and professional eligibility to enter a regulated health profession are distinct questions. The two statutory mandates are complementary, not mutually exclusive,” he said.
He emphasised that PSU respects Parliament, the Office of the Deputy Speaker, NCHE and MUST, but maintained that its statutory responsibilities cannot be set aside simply because a university programme has received academic accreditation.
According to PSU, Section 5 of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, establishes NCHE’s functions in areas including programme accreditation, higher education standards, institutional monitoring and academic qualifications.
He however, cited Sections 8(1)(a) and (b), and 22(1) and (2)(a), (c) and (d) of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, Cap. 309, as the legal basis for PSU's responsibilities concerning qualifications and institutions relevant to professional membership pathways, qualifying examinations, pharmacy-student training and the categories of persons authorised to train pharmacy students.
PSU further noted that registration as a pharmacist is a separate statutory process administered by the Pharmacy Board under Section 13 of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act.
Lutoti said the distinction means that graduating from an accredited university programme does not automatically authorise an individual to practise pharmacy independently.
“NCHE determines whether MUST may offer an accredited Bachelor of Pharmacy programme. PSU must independently consider whether the training and qualifications presented satisfy the requirements applicable to entry into the pharmacy profession,” he said.
He added that MUST could continue teaching under its NCHE accreditation, but argued that the professional body had a duty to address any material deficiencies affecting pharmacy training.
“MUST may continue teaching under its NCHE accreditation; PSU cannot be compelled to disregard material professional-training deficiencies merely because that accreditation remains valid,” Lutoti said.
PSU also argued that accreditation should not be interpreted as a permanent guarantee that a programme will always meet every applicable professional-training requirement.
According to the statement, staffing, departmental leadership, supervision and teaching conditions can change after an accreditation assessment. Such developments, PSU said, may require further scrutiny even when a programme retains its formal accreditation.
“An accreditation decision is based on an assessment made at a particular time and remains subject to NCHE’s own monitoring powers,” Lutoti said.
He maintained that PSU’s responsibility to safeguard professional standards continues throughout the training process and is not exhausted by its participation in an earlier accreditation exercise.
The society said its concerns were not an attempt to establish competing academic standards, but related to compliance with applicable professional-training and higher education requirements, including relevant NCHE minimum standards for pharmacy education.
It called for the applicable standards and the current circumstances at MUST to be assessed together through a fair and transparent process.
PSU said its October 19 decision followed concerns raised before its council about leadership and staffing in MUST’s Department of Pharmacy, a show-cause process and the response available to the Council at the time.
The Society said it had subsequently reviewed a letter dated October 20 from MUST Vice Chancellor to NCHE, reporting that pharmacist Dr. Jonans Tusiimire had been appointed Acting Head of the Department of Pharmacy, effective October 19.
The letter also reportedly indicated that recruitment and other corrective measures were being pursued.
Lutoti welcomed the developments but said the university’s representations needed to be verified against supporting documentation and the applicable standards.
“PSU welcomes steps directed at restoring and sustaining compliance,” he said, adding that the appointment documents, staffing schedules, teaching arrangements and relevant minimum standards should be examined through an orderly engagement involving MUST, NCHE and PSU.
The Society said the verification process should establish whether the changes address the concerns that informed its decision and whether any additional corrective measures are necessary.
While the dispute has raised concerns among students, parents and graduates enrolled in or associated with the affected programme, PSU reassured them.
PSU acknowledged the anxiety surrounding its announcement and said the interests of students should remain central to efforts to resolve the disagreement.
“Students must not be made casualties of institutional disagreement,” Lutoti said.
He said the Council would consider the position of affected student cohorts and periods of study based on verified facts, applicable law, procedural fairness and proportionate transitional measures.
The Society clarified that its decision should not be interpreted as cancelling degrees awarded by MUST or revoking NCHE’s accreditation of the programme.
However, it maintained that graduates must still satisfy the separate statutory requirements governing professional membership, qualifying processes and Pharmacy Board registration before they can lawfully practise independently as pharmacists.
The distinction, PSU argued, is intended to protect students while ensuring that professional standards are maintained in a regulated health sector.
To resolve the dispute, PSU called for urgent technical engagement with NCHE and MUST to establish the programme’s current compliance status and determine whether any deficiencies remain.
They said discussions would focus on verifying departmental staffing, identifying gaps that directly affect the quality of pharmacy graduates, agreeing on measurable corrective measures and determining the appropriate professional-recognition arrangements, including how students already enrolled in the programme should be treated.
Lutoti said PSU was prepared to reconsider its decision if sufficient evidence demonstrated that the applicable requirements had been met.
“PSU remains ready to review its decision promptly when sufficient evidence establishes that the applicable requirements are met,” he said.
He stressed that the disagreement should not be viewed as a struggle for authority between institutions, but as a shared responsibility to protect education standards, students and public health.
“This is not a contest for institutional supremacy; it is a shared duty to safeguard pharmacy education, students and the Ugandan public,” Lutoti said.
PSU reiterated that it was not challenging NCHE’s accreditation of MUST’s Bachelor of Pharmacy programme, but asserting what it considers to be its separate statutory responsibility to regulate entry into the pharmacy profession.
It maintained that both institutions could discharge their respective duties without one displacing the other, while calling for a coordinated, evidence-based resolution that protects students and upholds professional standards.