Malawian Doctors reluctant to go for Post graduate specialization studies in Ophthalmology at College of Medicine?.

I recently had a chart with some doctors who graduated recently from College of Medicine ,University of Malawi and they indicated that it is us the old doctors who are suppressing them from progressing with the careers in that we do not fight much for them and demand that they go for more specialized studies .They think having got a first medical degree they should be driving porch cars and leaving in low density areas with swimming pool, blah , blah , blah. I still do not have either of the two .
Having completed the first medical degree, most graduates expect things to be put on a silver platter from then onwards but this is rarer the case .Ask them about doing postgraduate studies to specialize in Ophthalmology , and they are not interested .
Post graduate studies these days are a must in the medical field if one wants to make a successfully career.
For example for the last 8 years I have been busy conducting community eye programmes, but none of the young doctors have approach me to know about the career and the benefits and no one is interested in following my footsteps . So why should be they saying we are suppressing them when we do not have anyone to handle the responsibilities to. I have no intention of going on for the 3rd term in community Ophthalmology but circumstances will force me to do so. BY now another Malawian doctor should have been graduating yet there is one in training ? I have two scholarships in Ophthalmology with me yet no candidate is coming forward .Is is because they see me driving a debilitated 3rd hand used motor vehicle and staying in substandard high density Baluti Area in Blantyre ? I am tempted to this so .Well I still love my car .
All in all Ophthalmology is not marketable in Malawi (but also in most parts of Africa) because young doctors believe it does not pay well as a career. Much as financial incentives are important , many other non monetory incentives can lead to job satisfaction in Ophthalmology.
It takes four years to train as an ophthalmologist at College of Medicine in Malawi once you have qualified as a general doctor , and most doctors feel this is too long But its not!
Having been at University for almost 2 decades as a student (I was in 1st year University in 1988, but now I am in final year Research PhD after having done 4 years of Ophthalmology then Masters in public health ) I do not regret any bit of it .I had a successful academic progress and my research career is just starting now.
Well for those who want to do any more studies, four years isn’t too long .Ask me how I managed and I will share the tricks .
If you dont join us , we will remain in power.
Know any Malawian doctor who may be interested in ophthalmology?
What do you say?
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Write up status

Ask me about my status; am known that I am in a “write up status” instead of the usual happily married answer .You see once the major research data collection has been completed , one is suppoosed to go into a write up status, symbolizing that you have to analyze and synthesize the data and then write up paper.This is the stat I am in now , which is really a busy period.Well its even harder harder you are in Malawi (home and dry) where other demanding things pop up all the time .
For instance I am the technical advisor to the Phalombe children project , jointly conducted by Lions Club of Limbe and Lions Club of Perugia , Italy .This is a project where we are screening children for need for glasses and providing glasses for free ; and also refering those who need surgery .Blantyre Insititute for community Ophthalmology (BICO) is coordinating the project .A big screening activity has been planned on 2nd October 2010.
I also have with me my elective Optometry students from University of Waterloo in Canada during this period .
Did you know the Lions Eye hospital in Zomba will be opened on 1st of October and that I have declined to be the director? Too much stress at the moment and I may end up collapsing.
I am concentrating on the write up. Once that is done then we can see what is next?
So when you see me not blogging , well am fine in Blantyre , but going on. See pictures of our project in Phalombe , Nazombe resource centre with Lion members?

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Death Announcement: Dr Moses Chirambo, Ophthalmologist & Minister of Health Malawi

It is with sadness that I announce the death of Dr Moses Chirambo, the first Malawian Ophthalmologist, and and a well known public health Ophthalmologist in the International ophthalmology sector .He died in South Africa yesterday on Saturday 14th August 2010 from an anesthetist related cardiac complication while undergoing Prostate removal surgery. See my previous blogs about him and his pcitures.
Dr Chirambo actively retired from Ophthalmology in 2008 when he was appointed Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Malawi.
In 1983 , he established the Southern Africa Development corporation (SADC) school of Ophthalmology in Lilongwe, Malawi supported by Sight Savers International ; this school has trained over 500 clinical officers and cataract surgeons (midlevel eye personnel )from all over SADC countries and beyond ; and now several countries including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia have started their own training programmes
In 1995, Chirambo got an International ward from the American Academy and IAPB for his fight in blindness; and continued to get several awards (too many to mention). He was a Regional advisor for Sight Savers International for a long time.
Between 1983 and 1987, Dr Chirambo, Professor Johnson Gordon and many other colleagues conducted the first population based childhood blindness survey on vitamin A & Xerophthalmia studies in Africa.
For those who knew Chirambo, he will be missed by many.

Join us in Malawi in morning this great achiever in Public Health ophthalmology & epidemiology.want to know more about him? look here

more Information Chirambo

Its a sad day
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Eye specialists and Politics do not go together. We are here for the Blind

Welcome back Prof though you are still an honourable MP:

After a few months of being minister of Health ,I am told the Professor(Prof Chirambo, the eye specialist has been dropped by the other profffesor (our President)but Prof remains a member of parliament.Well some of us knew that African politics and too many brains in one place do not go together ,so it’s not strange that people like him do not last (speculate why).


I am proposing him to be VISION2020 ambassadordor to share success stories of VISION2020 activities in Malawi, and myself to be the deputy ambassodor (since he is sitting in the middle in the pcture and myself on one end).

Should such a genius have joined politics in the first place? What do you think?

Despite nepotism , i will contune ensuring that Malawian including ones from Thyolo have access to good quality eye care .

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if you have a problem with being non partisan in service delivery.

Thank God for my Mum

Today was a very busy day for me ;am glad its now evening and I am looking forward to my trip tomorrow.
Why was i busy?I have being trying to send this Research article for publication in a peer reviewed journal.Imagine it took me the whole day.
Tomorrow I am going to Portsmouth;to see the harbour ;There is a feery that goes from the port to France-I am not sure whether I want to ride on it.
The trip from London to Port harbour by coach is 4 hours ;i will leave very early in the morning so that i spend the whole day there.I am coming back to London in the evening.

At the momemt i am about to sleep but am admiring the old pictures of my home village back in Mtwalo,Mzimba malawi.
I was there for the unveiling of the tombstone for my late father.
My mum is still looking miserable.
The other women carrying Nsima are smiling
People are happy sitting on the graves and charting not even thinking why they are there.
I had to borrow the red car from a colleague at Ekwendeni Mission hospital.
The grass thatched house (my mums kitchen) reminds me of the healthy organic food that i used to eat before being introduced to the hot dogs ;i feel sorry for her though : she's never been out of that village -maybe i need to do something for that community ? Resources are tight here in the West .

Of being a medical student

Gone were the good days


The photo on the right is a picture of myself :the younger Dr while still a medical student at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Australia in the early 90's.I was at the University of Adelaide medical school in South Australia from 1990 -1995
I was on a UNDP scholarship (through Malawi Government).
Look at how much I have changed today on this right picture taken when i was 37.

Ironically I am still working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital;but this time in Blantyre Malawi Africa.I was 21 then and keen ;staying at flat 40/133 Anzac Highway
I am over 40 ,with a lovely daughter and wife , but staying in a small village location in Blantyre (Baluti) not known by many ;but am still kicking.Time does fly.

World “Fight against blindness” Cup

Determining the World champions in fighting blindness can be very challenging, but indeed even in the field of blindness , people like Drogba do exists : I am representing Malawi and hope we can get through teams like Zambia ,Zimbabwe ,Mozambique ,and Rwanda quickly so that we start so that we start on focusing on difficulty ones like Ghana, Ivory coast , Nigeria and the Germans . Having done some eye work in the countries I have mentioned and seen how strong they are, I am confident Malawi has a bigger chance of winning .
Everyone including myself has been focusing so much on the world cup that reported for work for the month of June to July has been difficulty .For most , that means cancellation of field work ,and also cancellations of eye theatres to see the major games. Not fair for the poor patients
Having lost a fortune through gambling and betting on the England team; I have no choice but to get back to my roots : fighting against blindness and hoping to get in the semi finals of the “world fight against blindness” semi finals .A wise man warned me to stick to what I am familiar with so that everyone can appreciate. I am proud to report that out of blogs I have written; this one on Malawian Eye Dr becomes health minister has attracted most comments for a number of reasons ;well he has been one the few eye doctors in Sub-Saharan Africa who has left a name of the world map of blindness; and that for retirement he is currently the minister of Health for Malawi . I thank you for your encouraging comments ; and I shall continue writing about blindness in Malawi and other areas.
For politics ,,as Prof Chirambo used to say “Keep out of politcs:it is a dirtly game" and adding on the word “ listen to what I say and not what I do” , I am not amazed that he betrayed himself and become a politican and am keeping my fingers crossed .I have revisited the library to find more photos of him receiving the world cup on behalf many blind persons he has been fighting for .
Currently there are more than 10,000 Malawians who are blind from Cataract and could see again if a simple cataract operation would be performed on them .Most of these I believe will be supporting me
Which side are you on?
What do you want to say?
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