True-Doctor
How to register a private clinic in Uganda
The council that licenses your clinic depends on who is in charge of it. Get that right first, prepare the premises and papers, then apply. This guide walks the steps in order.
First, which body licenses you
A private health unit is licensed by the professional council of the person in charge of it. A clinic run by a medical doctor or a dentist is licensed by the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC). Units run by nurses or midwives, and by clinical officers or laboratory professionals, are licensed by their own councils.
A pharmacy or drug shop is separate again: it is licensed by the National Drug Authority (NDA), even when it sits inside your clinic.
Before you apply
Councils inspect before they license, so have these in place first.
- The business registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), as a business name or a company.
- A Tax Identification Number (TIN) from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
- An in-charge who is registered with the council and holds a practising licence for this year.
- Premises that fit the work: a private consulting room, a waiting area, hand washing, safe storage for medicines, a toilet, and a plan for clinical waste and sharps.
- A trading licence from your city, municipal or town council.
The documents councils usually ask for
Check the current list and fees with your council before you go: they change. Expect to be asked for:
- The completed application form for a private health unit.
- The in-charge's registration certificate, current practising licence and academic certificates.
- Your URSB registration and TIN.
- The location of the premises, often with a sketch map, and the services you will offer.
- A list of staff with each person's registration and licence.
- A list of the main equipment.
- In many districts, a letter of recommendation from the District Health Officer.
- Proof of payment of the application and licence fees.
Inspection and the licence
The council, or inspectors acting for it, visit the premises and check them against the application. What they find wanting has to be put right before the licence is issued.
A licence is for a year. Put the renewal date in your calendar a month early: running on an expired licence is the kind of thing an inspection finds first.
Once you are licensed
A few things that are easy to forget in the first month.
- Display the licence where patients can see it.
- Ask the district biostatistician to add the clinic to the Ministry of Health's facility list, so you can send the monthly HMIS reports (see the HMIS 105 guide).
- Keep a record for every patient you see, with consent where the law asks for it.
- Register with the Personal Data Protection Office: a clinic holds health data, which the law treats as special.
Sources
- Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council
- Uganda Registration Services Bureau
- Uganda Revenue Authority
- National Drug Authority
- Ministry of Health, Uganda
- Personal Data Protection Office