Mutharika donates stethoscopes to Malawi College of Medicine students

President Peter Mutharika has donated 100 stethoscopes to third year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students at the College of Medicine Lilongwe Campus as one way of ensuring that medical students have necessary equipment when carrying out their clinical training.

Presidential Physician, Colonel Dr Kingsley Magomero made the donation on behalf of the President on Monday at the College’s campus in Lilongwe with an encouragement for the students to work hard so that they become doctors who will serve Malawians with integrity.

He described the donation as very important saying it would go a long way in easing challenges the medical students face in accessing such gadgets especially when they have started practical work.

He said times have changed in such a way that student enrolment has increased over the years which has made colleges experience challenges in providing for students’ needs.

“You know times have changed. When we were medical students decades ago, we used to receive equipment like these so that we could carry out our clinical training well. Now we are talking of more than 100 students and that with other expenses has been very difficult for the college to supply equipment to the trainee doctors,” he said.

The beneficiaries are third year students who are required to start going into hospitals to practice clinical work.

As such, Magomero said the students need to have their own stethoscopes for effective delivery of their practical training.

“Some of these are needy students who could not afford to buy a decent stethoscope. We had to wait until the students are in third year because in second year they don’t need this equipment,” said Magomero.

Chairperson of the 2016 intake of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Welfare Organization, Gift Kanyinji expressed gratitude for the donation describing it as timely since they have now started doing practical work in their studies.

“This is not just like any other donation. These are expensive stethoscopes, durable with a lifespan of five years. So to us we are very happy and we would like to thank the president for this donation,” said Kanyinji.

He said the students have welcomed the president’s call for them to work hard with an open mind saying they would heed the call so that they achieve the goal of becoming good medical doctors.

In February this year, the students wrote a letter to the president requesting him to assist them with the equipment.

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