Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) Vice-Chancellor Professor Macpherson Mallewa has called for upholding of integrity and professionalism among health professionals to safeguard medicines and medical supplies.
The academic, speaking during the university’s third congregation in Blantyre yesterday, said reports of theft and corruption involving healthcare professionals in public and private health facilities were deplorable.
“We must make sure that the resources that we have get to the appropriate patients, not in the pockets of individual healthcare professionals,” said Mallewa.
He said Kuhes expects its graduates to demonstrate integrity and exemplary conduct in their workplaces, stressing that the institution does not train students to engage in theft.
Recently, Ministry of Health and Sanitation Principal Secretary Dan Namarika decried persistent theft of medicines from the country’s public health system, saying the malpractice continues to undermine efforts to stabilise supplies.
During the ceremony, Kuhes also gave an update on its plans to establish a pharmaceutical plant at its Kameza Campus in Blantyre.
Mallewa said the university is conducting a feasibility study to ensure the proposed plant is properly planned, adding that the institution intends to involve the World Health Organisation to ensure the medicines produced meet internationally acceptable standards.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka, who was the guest of honour, challenged Kuhes to ensure its graduates possess the practical skills and ethical values needed to serve the nation.
He said the government will continue to support the university’s growth and efforts to strengthen its capacity to deliver quality education.
Kuhes Council chairperson Professor Al Mtenje acknowledged that the institution operates in a challenging economic environment characterised by rising operational costs and infrastructure requirements.
“Our strategy is to strengthen financial management systems, improve resource mobilisation and progressively diversify the university’s income streams without compromising its public mandate,” he said.
A total of 262 students graduated across 14 undergraduate and 11 postgraduate programmes. Of these, 144 are female and 118 are male, while three graduated with distinctions.
The ceremony also marked the graduation of Kuhes’ first doctor of philosophy graduate, Naomi Kyeremaa Yeboa, a Ghanaian who earned a PhD in midwifery.
Established in 2021 following the merger of former University of Malawi constituent colleges—Kamuzu College of Nursing and College of Medicine, Kuhes held its inaugural graduation ceremony in 2024.
