COLLEGE OF MEDICINE - The tlrst dccade
Coming home
to the rigours of College lif'e and being close to home. Gone werc tl'tedays of crowded lecture theatrcs.One could no longer
Alfied Nlobvu
play truant and not be noticed by the lecturers.Therewere also lots of patientsto choosefiom tbr clcr.kingpurposes. They say thal experienceis a good teacherand practicemakespe 'ect. lf this is leally true, then our Meclicalgraduatesshouldbe head . and shouldersabove their Eutopcancountet.parts on leaving
Dr Alfred Njobvu is one of the graduales of lhe (.ollege of Medicine who did the first few years of their medical course abroad, and then returned to Malawi to complete the last year or two of clinical training.
College.Thele are Iots of patientsof varying pathologieslbr one to lay handson. Onc canevenbeconrean expertin semeof the procedures that only registrars are allowed to do clsewhele.Hereir: Mrlrrwi onc lcrrrns and rppleciutes the impoflanceof having good clinical skills and the bmins kr g. with lhem. Owing to the paucity of the diagnosticlcsts in the laboratqy or X-ray deptrtment, one has to rationalize i r t v e s t i g n t i o nw s illt e lc. Ortleringu bit cty r'l te\ts is unrealistic. By contt.rtstirr our previous Mcdical Schools, anyone being rrd|nittcd hild lo hlve a lull blood count, electft)lytes,'l ctral tnd livcr litrction tcsls,two blood cultures (onc li.on ctrch alnr) lrrd I chcst X-r.ay as nrininrult invesligittions. Did I hcal you siry thal it's likc shootinga nns(luilo with a rnachincgunl The|c arc ol- coursc guod rcirsonslir| tLrirrgthis. sUcltils lo fi_'scIcllrc poor SllO who , r ' l r l r l . l (l ) r r r i s s rl.lrr r . . r l i i r g r r rrrc, .ricsi r l e ,l l1 1t 1 s t sr.r r r rt l r t . rhr i r s
tl I I
Wc welc lrll quitc apprehcnsive aboul conling back. llrrrirrg t) g{r l)rcl lirr rrrorchisloly! Wc ha!e lo ntitk(' tltc tnosl ()l' lcli honrca lcw ycarseurlicritl it linrc whcn lhc ne,s Nlctlical h i . i l r r r t i r r t cl x i l D i n i t t i o nr .' h i c h i l c a l w l r y si r v i r i l i r h l cr n dc o s t Collcgc hatl virtuitlly no inliilstruclure,il wls lin.us it vcnlurc r o l h i r r gh u t l i r r c . c l l i ) n d c \ P c r i c n c ( ' . 'l'hc t i r c l c s se l l i r r t so l t l r c( i r l l t g c s c l r r ' l 1 inlo lhe Unkrowt].We wcrc Iucky to lind Ihc ttcw h()stcls p .i o r r c c r .[ s. t.l ( ' h i P h u r r g r v i . h r l ' r r l c ' s s o r s I ) l r h l c n h u r il r r t l Iinishedand ready lirr occupalion.This was a lrig hxrst lo us l r i r i ( ln l t l e t r ) u s 'Ihct d i t i t l c r r t l r . h a d s c i r r c h c r l n c i r r lnd helpctllrcnrctrdeusly i r r r l l:rr to lirrrl ()l in our questto bc pilrt t ncw hrcctl '( .ltybri(t. i r t f t t r i r r i s l l a l il r cr r l a t a d o n i cs t i l l l t ( ) t l f l l l l c i r \ i s i ( ) l i u l ( ll l ] c o, vibrilDl(k)c(orswho would makehistu.y irs( )M s I i r l i o D\ D c c ( l si l ) l r )i l r c l l i l y . l l r c s ct w t } s t . l l [ ' s sr r r o r l r r l sl i N t ptoducts. T l t t . l i l s t t l u l s n c l c l i k c t l c b r i e l i n gs ( , s \ i r , l . N r , tt l r r l a n e \ i t i r b l c! l e h c t lt l r c i r n I t I k s i n t 0 l l r c l t i s l o t yl r r r o k sr r l t l r i s lhclc wclc cultUlcshocksilnd strangesocialphrtronrc|]rr tr gcl r o t I t gc r r l h : : rl.l. \ \ " l , l t ' t l ' ( r r r a l . o t r ; l l rll,,r tt , ( . t , ,t ( . , lr . , l ccuslonrcdlo (lhis wasalier all our homec()Untryl.bUt\\c l]lt{l l h i r lt h (i r b u s l sl i r r r l l l ritr r r r r fi l t ( ) ( ' ( ) l \ l s l l i l l l o l l ; l l r c . l l t l r . r r i \ r r ' l r ) r r r\ r ' 1 .l c l ' s i l c l l ( ) \ \ o l L ( ) r \ ' It) pul our-Iccl Iifnlly on tlrc groundand to lt rrrlirrsl orrr.sr,lr r.s
Students' Refectory
Malawi MedicalJoumal
20'
Coming home
to the rigours of College lif'e and being close to home. Gone werc tl'tedays of crowded lecture theatrcs.One could no longer
Alfied Nlobvu
play truant and not be noticed by the lecturers.Therewere also lots of patientsto choosefiom tbr clcr.kingpurposes. They say thal experienceis a good teacherand practicemakespe 'ect. lf this is leally true, then our Meclicalgraduatesshouldbe head . and shouldersabove their Eutopcancountet.parts on leaving
Dr Alfred Njobvu is one of the graduales of lhe (.ollege of Medicine who did the first few years of their medical course abroad, and then returned to Malawi to complete the last year or two of clinical training.
College.Thele are Iots of patientsof varying pathologieslbr one to lay handson. Onc canevenbeconrean expertin semeof the procedures that only registrars are allowed to do clsewhele.Hereir: Mrlrrwi onc lcrrrns and rppleciutes the impoflanceof having good clinical skills and the bmins kr g. with lhem. Owing to the paucity of the diagnosticlcsts in the laboratqy or X-ray deptrtment, one has to rationalize i r t v e s t i g n t i o nw s illt e lc. Ortleringu bit cty r'l te\ts is unrealistic. By contt.rtstirr our previous Mcdical Schools, anyone being rrd|nittcd hild lo hlve a lull blood count, electft)lytes,'l ctral tnd livcr litrction tcsls,two blood cultures (onc li.on ctrch alnr) lrrd I chcst X-r.ay as nrininrult invesligittions. Did I hcal you siry thal it's likc shootinga nns(luilo with a rnachincgunl The|c arc ol- coursc guod rcirsonslir| tLrirrgthis. sUcltils lo fi_'scIcllrc poor SllO who , r ' l r l r l . l (l ) r r r i s s rl.lrr r . . r l i i r g r r rrrc, .ricsi r l e ,l l1 1t 1 s t sr.r r r rt l r t . rhr i r s
tl I I
Wc welc lrll quitc apprehcnsive aboul conling back. llrrrirrg t) g{r l)rcl lirr rrrorchisloly! Wc ha!e lo ntitk(' tltc tnosl ()l' lcli honrca lcw ycarseurlicritl it linrc whcn lhc ne,s Nlctlical h i . i l r r r t i r r t cl x i l D i n i t t i o nr .' h i c h i l c a l w l r y si r v i r i l i r h l cr n dc o s t Collcgc hatl virtuitlly no inliilstruclure,il wls lin.us it vcnlurc r o l h i r r gh u t l i r r c . c l l i ) n d c \ P c r i c n c ( ' . 'l'hc t i r c l c s se l l i r r t so l t l r c( i r l l t g c s c l r r ' l 1 inlo lhe Unkrowt].We wcrc Iucky to lind Ihc ttcw h()stcls p .i o r r c c r .[ s. t.l ( ' h i P h u r r g r v i . h r l ' r r l c ' s s o r s I ) l r h l c n h u r il r r t l Iinishedand ready lirr occupalion.This was a lrig hxrst lo us l r i r i ( ln l t l e t r ) u s 'Ihct d i t i t l c r r t l r . h a d s c i r r c h c r l n c i r r lnd helpctllrcnrctrdeusly i r r r l l:rr to lirrrl ()l in our questto bc pilrt t ncw hrcctl '( .ltybri(t. i r t f t t r i r r i s l l a l il r cr r l a t a d o n i cs t i l l l t ( ) t l f l l l l c i r \ i s i ( ) l i u l ( ll l ] c o, vibrilDl(k)c(orswho would makehistu.y irs( )M s I i r l i o D\ D c c ( l si l ) l r )i l r c l l i l y . l l r c s ct w t } s t . l l [ ' s sr r r o r l r r l sl i N t ptoducts. T l t t . l i l s t t l u l s n c l c l i k c t l c b r i e l i n gs ( , s \ i r , l . N r , tt l r r l a n e \ i t i r b l c! l e h c t lt l r c i r n I t I k s i n t 0 l l r c l t i s l o t yl r r r o k sr r l t l r i s lhclc wclc cultUlcshocksilnd strangesocialphrtronrc|]rr tr gcl r o t I t gc r r l h : : rl.l. \ \ " l , l t ' t l ' ( r r r a l . o t r ; l l rll,,r tt , ( . t , ,t ( . , lr . , l ccuslonrcdlo (lhis wasalier all our homec()Untryl.bUt\\c l]lt{l l h i r lt h (i r b u s l sl i r r r l l l ritr r r r r fi l t ( ) ( ' ( ) l \ l s l l i l l l o l l ; l l r c . l l t l r . r r i \ r r ' l r ) r r r\ r ' 1 .l c l ' s i l c l l ( ) \ \ o l L ( ) r \ ' It) pul our-Iccl Iifnlly on tlrc groundand to lt rrrlirrsl orrr.sr,lr r.s
Students' Refectory
Malawi MedicalJoumal
20'
