Enrolment of undergraduate doctors increase to 300

THE enrolment of undergraduate doctors in the country's medical school has increased to 300, up from 200 last year, helping to consolidate Zimbabwe's top position on literacy in Africa, a prominent surgeon has said.

Prominent surgeon and director of the Institute of Continuing Health Education at the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences Mr Christopher Samkange said the institute has been exploring ways to address the future needs of medical doctors for the country.

"There is a great improvement in the enrolment of undergraduate doctors from 200 last year up to 300 this year," he said.

"We can increase the number of qualified doctors despite challenges of dropouts and failure by some students."

Mr Samkange, who was also the vice-president of the College of Surgical for East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), said this at a one-day seminar to promote the Zimbabwe Essential Surgical Training programme that aims to improve surgical skills for general medical officers in rural areas.

"We have been doing all we can to address the country's future needs of medical doctors. We are pleased to see that enrolment continues to grow both through the expansion of existing medical schools and the opening new ones," he said.

Midlands State University, he said, will be enrolling undergraduate medical students in the coming two years to further boost the country's enrolment figures for doctors.

"Institutions such as Midlands State University will be enrolling students for medicine courses in two years to come," he said.

"Our priority is to release qualified medical professionals who help improve the country's healthcare delivery system."

COSECSA recently donated over US$92 000 to the Surgical Society of Zimbabwe to equip general medical practitioners with surgical skills to help address surgical constraints facing rural patients.