25th Birthday Things

Two days ago I happened to be at the College of Medicine in my fancy dressing in the name of making a presentation at the Colllege’s Silver Jubileee. Yes. My college celebrates 25 years of existence. Actually, students took a one week break from their classes and clinical allocations for the celebrations. I mean, how could they be learning when everyone who is supposed to teach is on the grounds dancing or busy making a presentation to impress some Minister somewhere? Anyway, I am not hating. I love the whole idea of celebrating. I will actually be there for the alumni parade from Kamuzu Stadium tomorrow (stand somewhere on the Highway if you want to see yours truly in a jovial mood tomorrow).

Brief history lecture.

You cannot talk about the College of Medicine without talking about Dr John Chiphangwi, the Obscetrician (or Gynecologist) who pioneered its foundation. This was the one gentleman who had a
bug heart and a big vision. He saw the possibility of having a medical college in Malawi when everyone else thought it was impossible. From Prof Adamson Muula and Dr Wakisa Mulwafu’s book on the history
of the College of Medicine (ndaiwala title and I didn’t read the whole thing anyway) one can smell the sort of resistance that the good doctor had to face. 25 years down the line the college has produced more than 600 doctors (I’m told), a number of pharmacists (achina Aggrey Phiri, Ernest Matambo ndi
Thembi Sibande. Random examples, eti?), physiotherapists and lab scientists (Brian Chumbi ndi alongo ache). Great achievement, right? Maybe. Maybe not.

In the early days for a Malawian to become a doctor we had to export a layman to the UK so that he could come back a doctor. That obviously brought in the issue of costs and there was only so much the
government (that was before it came to be called gaf’ment) could invest in the training of medical personnel. Obviously there were also some who got distracted and forgot who had sent them there. I wouldn’t blame them because I cannot guarantee you that I would come back here for work if you sent
me to the UK to do some gynecology specialist studies or anything of the sort.
The coming in of the College of Medicine sorted the problem as it meant that doctors could be trained locally. This meant that the costs were reduced and we had bit of a guarantee for maximum retention of the brains that we trained to be doctors (I mean, Dr Joram Nyirongo sangathawire kunja. Ayambira pati?) The passing of years saw the introduction of other programs like pharmacy, lab science and physiotheraphy. We have also seen COM start to offer masters and PhD programs and that is something to be proud of.

To be frank, I think the College of Medicine has done its part in producing the much needed health professionals, but the way the nation has responded to the situation leaves a lot to be desired especially
in the recent days. Some of you might be aware of the fact that our laboratory scientists are going around without jobs and are yet to be absorbed into our health system as the government claims that
there is no gap for them. The ironic part is that those who work in our hospitals would tell you otherwise when it comes to the same subject on the need for such personnel.

Last year around this very same time the issue in the air was that of the “51 doctors” and we might be heading towards a similar situation; getting into a tale of some “60 doctors” who graduated from the College of Medicine on the 27th of June this year.

There are probably some excuses to do with the lack funds from the higher offices. One would wonder why the meager salaries our doctors get are enough to deny the people the better health services they could get if the 60 or so are absorbed into the system. I am just hoping that we will not have a mass exodus of these brilliant minds to some kingdom down south where people stormed to last year, and are happily practicing and are on more than double the home salary. Pharmacists and physiotherapists have not yet been employed too and so are the lab scientists. So much uncertainity among the people at the moment.

To avoid ruining the celebrations, we will cut the complaints right there. 25 years of the existence of the College of Medicine has seen Malawi produce a lot of brilliant minds who have improved the provision of health services through practice and research. It is in every Malawian’s interest that the college continues to be the center of excellence it is.

May the Silver Jubilee be a point of reflection for those running and those who have been through the
college.

May it bring us in synchrony of thought with those who fought hard for its inception…

May the college bring the dreams of better health service provision as the visionaries saw it more than 25 years ago.

Long live the College of Medicine. Long live Malawi.

The President has made a surprise appearance at the "Zokonda Amayi" chat thing. I hope he makes a surprise appearance at the grand finale of our celebrations too.