Professional registration · 3 min read
Medical laboratory careers in Uganda: cadres, AHPC registration and opening a lab
The laboratory cadres the AHPC recognises, how a lab professional registers and keeps an annual licence, and the steps the Council sets before a medical laboratory can open.
Laboratory work in Uganda runs on a ladder of cadres, from laboratory assistants to scientific officers, and every one of them is registered by the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC). The Council also licenses medical laboratories themselves, so the in charge of a lab has a second set of papers to keep in order. This guide covers both.
The laboratory cadres
The AHPC list of registered cadres includes medical laboratory assistants, medical laboratory technicians, medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory scientific officers, and cytotechnologists. Your cadre follows your qualification, so check which one your certificate, diploma or degree leads to before you apply for jobs: adverts usually name the cadre in the title, such as Laboratory Technician or Laboratory Technologist.
Register with the AHPC
The AHPC asks Ugandan applicants for:
- four recent coloured passport photos with a white background;
- the certified final academic transcript or certificate;
- a photocopy of the ID card of the school where you trained;
- O level and A level certificates;
- the registration fee.
Laboratory staff trained abroad add an NCHE letter, proof of registration with their home professional body, evidence of employment and their passport page.
Keep the annual licence current
Registration is permanent; the practising licence is annual. The AHPC renews it online at ehealthlicense.go.ug: complete your profile to 100%, open the renewal link on your dashboard, pay with SchoolPay by mobile money and download the licence. The same portal issues the extract from the register that some employers and inspectors ask for.
Opening a medical laboratory
The AHPC sets out these steps:
- Get the application form from the AHPC head office, a regional office or the District Laboratory Focal Person, or download it from the Council website.
- Attach a valid operating licence of the health facility if the lab is inside a private clinic or hospital, and the certificate of registration, current annual practising licence and transcript or certificate of the laboratory in charge.
- Return the form for assessment and payment.
- The facility is inspected and the District Laboratory Focal Person fills the checklist for the level of the laboratory, then signs and stamps it with the District Health Office.
Before you take a lab job
Ask who the laboratory in charge is and whether the lab's own licence is current: if the lab operates without one, the professionals working there are exposed too. In public service, the Health Service Commission and district service commissions advertise laboratory posts and ask for your council registration and licence details.
Sources and further reading
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Frequently asked questions
Who registers laboratory technicians and technologists in Uganda?
The Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC). Its cadres include medical laboratory assistants, technicians, technologists and scientific officers, and cytotechnologists.
How do I renew my lab practising licence?
Online on the AHPC eHealth licensing portal, ehealthlicense.go.ug, by completing your profile, paying with SchoolPay by mobile money and downloading the licence.
What do I need to open a medical laboratory?
An AHPC application form with the facility's operating licence (if inside a clinic or hospital) and the registration, current licence and qualification of the laboratory in charge, then an inspection by the District Laboratory Focal Person and the District Health Office.