O
ne of the most pressing problems concerning health care professionals in African countries is actually the lack of them. Malawi similarly faces such a crisis of experienced and competent health care professionals. The dire need for good quality health care professionals in Malawi has primarily been attributed to the phenomenon of brain drain, which means that most of the highly qualified health care professionals in Malawi have migrated out to seek more prospective employment elsewhere. This has generated an acute and urgent need for more qualified health care professionals in Malawi.
How Serious is the Problem in Malawi?
It has been reported by Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that medical assistants and clinical officers tend to stay home and contribute to the workforce of health care professionals in Malawi much more in number than the actual doctors and physicians. This issue of brain drain has been reported to be the root cause of the lack of competent and quality health care professionals in Malawi. According to records from the World Health Organisation, the doctor to patient ratio in Malawi is 0.12 for every 1000 Malawian people. This figure is much lower than that of neighbouring countries like Kenya that has about 12 physicians for every Kenyan citizen. Moreover, ActionAid UK reports that from recent survey data, it has been found that there are barely 600 doctors in the entire country that constitutes the entire population of health care professionals in Malawi. These 600 health care professionals in Malawi are responsible for the 16 million Malawian population.
The Root Cause of the Problem
A 2017 publication in the renowned journal titled ‘Social Science & Medicine’ has found that the lack of specialised training of health care professionals in Malawi is the primary cause concerning their retention in the country. This research study conducted by renowned Malawian scholar Kate L. Mandeville along with her colleagues proves that the low quality of educational infrastructure for health care professionals in Malawi is the root cause of the brain drain phenomenon in Malawi wherein, budding health care professionals migrate to developed western countries, mostly the UK, in order to gain access to more advanced facilities for education as well as practice. This study of Mandeville used the Markov model in order to gain a good insight into the employment market of health care professionals in Malawi and these results have shocked Malawian economists as well.
Sharda University Opens Avenues for Health Care Professionals in Malawi
The healthcare courses offered by India’s Sharda University are perfectly tailored to meet the needs of Malawian students who are aspiring to enrol for medical courses and contribute to the workforce of health care professionals in Malawi. The several courses like MBBS, MD, Nursing and Pharmacy are perfect to close the skills gaps existing among the current health care professionals in Malawi. Upon pursuing their medical dreams at Sharda University, Malawian students can launch their careers and succeed in increasing the doctor to patient ratio of their homeland.
Also Read:
