First MDs graduate from UB

Mpho Mokwape | Tuesday October 14, 2014 08:00

 

The event also marked the launch of the Botswana National Internship Training (NIT) Programme. 

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Koolatamo Malefho, said this was testament that Botswana had taken the right steps in pioneering its own medical training institution. He explained the country decided to locally train internationally competent doctors in a bid to cut costs, as it was becoming too expensive to send students abroad. 

“We realised that in order for us to train more doctors that meet the demands of the medical fraternity, it was high time we set up our own medical school. The resources were already there and we had competent skilled academic staff that could see us through the first tough phase of the establishment,” he said. 

Malefho further said it was a mammoth task to establish and develop the only medical school in the country. He said they had faced several challenges, which included finding highly competent educators and had to source some of the academic staff from other countries to complement the already existing staff.  

“These highly skilled professionals covered different disciplines across the medical field. We are glad now that the hard work over the years has paid off, with the country ready to absorb the first pioneers of the school,” he said.

Associate Programme Director, Dr Oathokwa Nkomazana, said the launch of the NIT programme would be widespread across the country rather than concentrated only in Gaborone and Francistown. She added that a batch of graduates would be released to their respective bases to commence their work training on October 29, 2014. 

“Medical graduates are often placed between Princess Marina and Nyangagbwe Hospital but this time around the programme has been designed in [such] a way that all hospitals around the country would benefit from the graduates expertise,” she said.

Other speakers included UB School of Medicine Founding Dean Professor Major Bradshaw, School’s Acting Head of Pediatrics, Dr Loeto Mazhani, Head of Biomedical Sciences, Dr George Mokone from the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Sandro Vento and Ministry of Education Deputy Permanent Secretary, Kgopotso Ramoraka.