Abstract

In Malawi, mental health services account for only 2% of the health budget; there are just 4.5 full-time psychiatrists and 433 psychiatric beds. The Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP) aims to provide sustainable support for psychiatric training for healthcare professionals and has increased the number of psychiatrists in the country. There has been a recent change in the educational programme in order to maximise clinical exposure and experience, particularly with the care of in-patients. The new programme has had a positive effect on students' attitudes towards psychiatry and their consideration of psychiatry as a career. This paper supports the ongoing work SMMHEP does in developing psychiatric services through education.

Highlights

  • The country has one government psy­ chiatrist, two psychiatrists employed by the College of Medicine, one psychiatrist from the American Peace Corps and one psychiatrist employed part time by the Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP)

  • The College has an annual intake of 60–70 students per year and provides a 5-year programme in which students do a clinical attachment to psychiatry in the fourth year

  • This paper reports how a revised psychiatric teaching programme has been delivered for Malawian medical students, and assesses its impact on students’ learning and their attitudes towards psychiatry

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Summary

Evaluation of undergraduate psychiatry teaching in Malawi

The contribution of Felix Kauye, Consultant Psychiatrist, is gratefully acknowledged. The Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP) aims to provide sustainable support for psychiatric training for healthcare professionals and has increased the number of psychiatrists in the country. The country has one government psy­ chiatrist, two psychiatrists employed by the College of Medicine, one psychiatrist from the American Peace Corps and one psychiatrist employed part time by the Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP). The aim of SMMHEP is to provide sustainable support for psychiatric training at the Malawi. The College has an annual intake of 60–70 students per year and provides a 5-year programme in which students do a clinical attachment to psychiatry in the fourth year. Experts have highlighted that mental health education programmes in low-income countries are often too heavily based on theory, without enough practical elements ( in the community) (Saraceno et al, 2007). This paper reports how a revised psychiatric teaching programme has been delivered for Malawian medical students, and assesses its impact on students’ learning and their attitudes towards psychiatry

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