I plan to work at Mangochi District Hospital in Malawi for three weeks. Alongside the Malawian healthcare team, I will participate in morning report, clinic and inpatient rounding, teaching, quality improvement projects and community outreach. The goal is to improve the training environment for Malawian medical students and residents while supporting the health system’s efforts to deliver comprehensive, integrated care. My time in Malawi will make a difference by filling service delivery gaps in an under-resourced setting and supporting systems development based on principles of family medicine and community health. I will also have the opportunity to partner with the patients, families, and communities to improve health through disease prevention and health promotion while advocating for individual and community health.
Malawian patients, healthcare workers, and students will benefit from this project. Mangochi District Hospital is an under-resourced hospital that serves over 1.5 million people. It is located in a rural region of Malawi. The ministry of health and the college of medicine in Malawi have expressed a need for support in this area. Additionally, the family medicine training program is based within the national health care system, which has one of the lowest budgets in the world. My role is to provide human resource support to this program during its early years.
This project is expected to impact patients, the future physician workforce, and healthcare delivery in Malawi. It will both promote the development of family medicine in Malawi and contribute to healthcare system improvements. Family medicine is an unparalleled specialty and offers a unique opportunity to meet the needs of patients in resource-poor settings by providing preventative, integrated, and comprehensive care. It can also significantly improve access to care while advocating for local health. Personally, this project will provide me with an opportunity to continue my commitment to global public health while experiencing what a family medicine career in global health looks like. This project is well-established and there will be continued exchange for years to come.
Mangochi District Hospital is a training hospital so I had the opportunity to teach and work alongside Family Medicine physicians/residents, clinical officers/interns, nurses/nursing students and patients. I was able to fill service delivery gaps in this under-resourced setting and support systems development based on principles of family medicine and community health. Specifically, this was done by being a part of inpatient rounds, performing teachable skills such as POCUS, and giving lectures. I also had the opportunity to practice disease prevention and health promotion in the non-communicable diseases' clinic. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to learn from everyone at Mangochi District Hospital. Zikomo!
