Strengthening the Inaugural MMed Radiology Residency Programme in Malawi
Situation:
Malawi is a landlocked country in Sub-Saharan Africa and is classed by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries. It has a fast-growing population of more than 21 million people, around half of whom are under 18. Across this whole population, there are currently less than 10 Radiologists. This works out at roughly one Radiologist for every 2 million people. Many patients do not have access to safe, high-quality imaging and the poor and marginalised are most affected. They cannot afford private radiology services and are more likely to experience delayed or incorrect diagnosis. This urgent need for nationally trained radiologists led Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) to establish the country’s first MMed Radiology residency programme.
Objectives:
The overall goal of the project is to grow the Radiology workforce in Malawi and support the first generation of radiologists trained through the MMed programme. This will lead to stronger patient services, more teaching and research capacity and a new group of radiology leaders and policy makers.
- 6 Radiology Specialists trained through the KUHeS MMed Radiology programme by 2028.
- 6 residents completing a minimum 10-month International Radiology placement, completed by 2028.
- Malawi’s first in-country MMed Radiology residency programme sustained through 2028.
- Strengthening in-country specialist radiology training through delivery of Malawi’s first MMed Radiology residency programme at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
- Providing structured teaching and mentoring for radiology residents through international visiting radiologists and coordinated remote expert education aligned with the KUHeS MMed Radiology curriculum
- Enabling radiology residents to complete required international academic placements in better-resourced African radiology departments to consolidate skills and experience high-quality radiology services
- Radiology residents delivering radiology education across paediatrics, internal medicine, surgery and emergency medicine through imaging case discussions and point-of-care ultrasound training
- Building long-term national capacity by embedding new Malawian radiologists into a training-the-trainer model, enabling graduates to return as educators and mentors within the residency programme
By 2028, six Malawian radiologists will have graduated. They, and those who train after them, will become educators and mentors themselves, creating a training-the-trainer model. Embedding graduates in a strong international network will expand professional support, address the challenge of long-term brain drain and open up opportunities to develop new services, education and research together.
This project supports Malawi’s first MMed Radiology residency programme, combining Malawian faculty leadership with international collaboration. It integrates on-site teaching, remote education and regional training placements, while strengthening imaging education across multiple clinical specialties. High-quality teaching is guided by Malawian faculty and focused on Malawian health needs.
