Cham seeks govt scholarships

 Christian Health Association of Malawi (Cham) has asked the Ministry of Health to offer scholarships to students in its training institutions to prevent them from dropping out.

Cham’s director of health programmes Elled Mwenyekondo made the call on Friday during the graduation of 139 health professionals [Nursing and Midwifery and Pharmacy] from St John’s Institute for Health in Mzuzu.

But the ministry, through director of Human Resources Duff Msukwa, has said there is a need to first revise legislation that prohibits students who study diploma and certificate programmes from accessing loans before they come in.

Mwenyekondo said students drop out of school due to lack of tuition fees and other basic needs.

“It has been reported from our three colleges that most students fail to complete their studies due to lack of funds. Some ask for permission to be granted in the middle of the semester, to start afresh the following year due to lack of money.

“We are still lobbying with the government and other donors so that challenges related to human resources should be reduced,” he said.

Msukwa, however, said students studying for diploma or certificate programmes cannot access the loans unless the law on loans accessibility was changed.

“I know there are some sections in the Loans Act that the government must revise so that it should accommodate a wider number of students to access the loans in such institutions. For example, students who study diplomas are not accommodated because of the Act,” he said.

Guest of honour at the graduation, Bishop John Ryan of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu, said the country requires more health professionals to help the masses.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cholera outbreak, it is very clear that we need more health professionals. The more people we have in our clinics, especially in rural areas, the more we promote good health in Malawi.

“Health is the most important gift we have, we need to protect and promote it,”said Ryan.

St John’s Institute of Health was founded in 1963 and is a member of the Cham network of training institutions.

It offers nursing and midwifery, pharmacy and clinical medicine courses.