Doctor runs Mulanje Porters Race as fund-raiser for medical officers training
South African volunteer doctor, Peter Schnellus participated in the 23rd Mount Mulanje Porters Race as a challenge — to raise funds for further studies for nurses and clinical officers at Mulanje Mission Hospital where he is attached.
And he revealed that so far the challenge has raise over MK2 million and counting as more pledges will be honoured as trending on his web page www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/more.
On this page, Dr. Schnellus tells potential benefactors that he decided to attempt the race in order to raise funds for Mulanje Officers Receiving further Education (MORE).
“Clinical officers and nurses are the backbones of the health system in Malawi. They work under challenging conditions and deliver an excellent service to the people they serve.
“Clinical officers while not having received training as traditional doctors, perform complex surgeries such as hysterectomies and ceasarian sections while nurses make enormous differences in the community they serve through preventative, curative and palliative services.
“They work with great skill and passion. There is, however, a great need for further education for clinical officers and nurses to advance knowledge and skills.
“They have the option to train further in specific fields such as preventative healthcare, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, internal medicine and Paediatrics.
“For their training the hospital is partly dependent on external support, next to the funds that the students contribute to their salary. The money raised will be used by Mulanje Mission Hospital to further facilitate training in fields where there is currently a great need.
“Nurses and clinicians will be sent for postgraduate courses varying in length from one year to 4 years. By further education, skills and knowledge will improve and ultimately better health care for the community that Mulanje Mission Hospital serves.
“The practitioners carry on working at the hospital bringing back the knowledge and resulting in sustainable development. The capacity building programme is overseen by the hospital management team, who prioritize training based on the most urgent needs,” says Dr. Schnellus.
And he managed to easily finish the race and received a medal for coming third in the international category in a time of 3:02:26hrs, which was won by Marc Henrion in 3:00:30 while Marcus Smith from Dubai was second in 3:00:39.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :