The Master of Medicine (MMed) programme in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care
The task of the anaesthetist in Malawi has been delivered for a long time by staff with various degree of training. Some have been in the field of Medicine before such as being trained as and working as nurses or midwifes. Education varied from on-the-job-training to a structured programme such as at the Malawi School of Anaesthesia. Anaesthetists as doctors in Malawi have been for a long time only foreigners (usually with a limited period of stay in the country) or few Malawians who trained outside the country and returned.
Although the workload of anaesthetists in Malawi are shouldered by clinical officers it is necessary to have input from doctors as anaesthetist to create a safe environment for the patients. Training of further staff, continuous teaching of practicing staff and improvement of the level of anaesthetic skill in Malawi to rise to the challenge of more and more specialized surgery are needed.
The key for a sustainable system was the introduction of a training programme for doctors as anaesthetists in the country.
In the year 2002 first attempts were made, a MMed in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care programme at the College of Medicine lined out and the first student enrolled. Initial funding was produced by the Dutch government via the Dutch Exit Strategy. Also the Norwegian government has been funding the postgraduate training in Anaesthesia.
The first Anaesthetist graduated in the year 2013.
The MMed programme could be offered to further students from the year 2009 on with support from the Irish College of Anaesthetists. Until now three more Malawian consultants in Anaesthesia have completed their training. Another registrar is in his first year and is expected to graduate in 2019.
Funding for 18 more students in the coming years are at an advanced stage.
The training consists of formal teaching and supervised work experience in theatres and ICU. It is a four year programme with courses in Basic Sciences applied to Anaesthesia, Principles of Safe Anaesthesia, Specialised Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. Resources are limited in Malawi, equipment and drugs are missing therefore certain techniques cannot be applied and taught within the country. In the 3rd year of the training, students will undergo the course Elective Study in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in a South African university hospital to develop knowledge and skill that cannot be acquired in Malawi. Between our department and the department of Anaesthesia of the University of Cape Town exists an agreement on training the Malawian MMed students for one year.
There will be an exam after the first two years of training and at the end of their four-year coursework. Continuous assessment is implemented throughout the programme and is a prerequisite to qualify to register for these exams. According to the regulations, a dissertation is a requirement in order to graduate from the MMed programme in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care.
The Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery programme (MBBS)
The Bachelor of Science (BSc) programme in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care