The Malawi "hybrid" medical graduates (1992-1998)

Abstract

In April 1991, the Malawi College of Medicine opened its doors to Malawi medical students who had undertaken all but the final year of their undergraduate training in the United Kingdom. The first batch quawied with the MB BS degrees of the University of Malawi in September 1992. Since then andup to July 1998, 112 doctors have been produced. They are all Malawians, 90 males and 22 females, 29%, 31% and 40% respectively come from the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Malawi. Seventy-one per cent of the graduates had passed through Chancellor College, Zomba, and 27% had attended the Kamuzu Academy, Kasunga, Malawi.

So far, most of these graduates have remained in Malawi, working in various locations in government and mission hospitals and at the University of Malawi. Many have shown encouraging interest in pursuing postgraduate education. In September 1994 the epoch of hybridisation was brought to a close with the admission of the first set of students who will train fully here in Malawi and become our first batch of home-grown doctors.

Keywords: medical education, medical school, Malawi, Central Africa