The five students of the Master's programme in Medicine had been doing elective internships at three Ugandan partner institutions of Maastricht University for several weeks. One of them is located in the capital Kampala, about five kilometres from the hospital where the first new Ebola infection in Uganda in more than two years was detected in late January. “There was one student there, whom we immediately requested not to return to the workplace the next morning,” says Miranda Gubbels, team leader of the FHML's International Relations Office (IRO). “Initially, this student moved to a partner institution outside the city.”
In recent weeks, however, the number of reported cases has increased - the official count now stands at nine infections and one death. “According to the authorities, the other two institutions are ‘safe’ because they are far from the location of the outbreak,” says Gubbels. “But those are the ‘official’ infections. The students heard all kinds of rumours about more cases in nearby areas. It is difficult for us to assess the severity of the situation from a distance, the RIVM [the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment] cannot provide more information either. Therefore, last Wednesday, we urgently advised all five students to leave Uganda. We don't want to take any risks. You also don't want to wait until repatriation by the Dutch government becomes necessary.”
All students followed that advice, says Gubbels. Three of them are now back in the Netherlands. “They were already over halfway through their internship. We are now going to see if an additional internship is needed, or if reflecting on their experience in Uganda is sufficient. Experiencing such an outbreak is perhaps even more instructive than a regular internship.”
The two other students will continue their internships at a partner institution in Ghana. “Once their visa is arranged, they will leave Uganda as quickly as possible.” Two students who were supposed to leave for internships in Uganda last Thursday have found a new placement in Tanzania.
Although students pay for their elective internship flights abroad themselves, FHML will reimburse the extra costs they incur “within reason”, says Gubbels. “Since the government has not yet updated the travel advice for Uganda, they will not get anything refunded through their travel insurance.”