President Arthur Peter Mutharika has donated 100 stethoscopes to third year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students at the College of Medicine Lilongwe Campus as one way of ensuring that medical students have necessary equipment when carrying out their clinical training.

Presidential Physician, Colonel Dr. Kingsley Magomero made the donation on behalf of the president on Monday at the College’s campus in Lilongwe with an encouragement for the students to work hard so that they become doctors who will serve Malawians with integrity.

He described the donation as very important saying it would go a long way in easing challenges the medical students face in accessing such gadgets especially when they have started practical work.

He said times have changed in such a way that student enrolment has increased over the years which has made colleges experience challenges in providing for students’ needs.

“You know times have changed. When we were medical students decades ago, we used to receive equipment like these so that we could carry out our clinical training well. Now we are talking of more than 100 students and that with other expenses has been very difficult for the college to supply equipment to the trainee doctors,” he said.

The beneficiaries are third year students who are required to start going into hospitals to practice clinical work.

As such, Magomero said the students need to have their own stethoscopes for effective delivery of their practical training.

“Some of these are needy students who could not afford to buy a decent stethoscope. We had to wait until the students are in third year because in second year they don’t need this equipment,” said Magomero.

Chairperson of the 2016 intake of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Welfare Organization, Gift Kanyinji expressed gratitude for the donation describing it as timely since they have now started doing practical work in their studies.

“This is not just like any other donation. These are expensive stethoscopes, durable with a lifespan of five years. So to us we are very happy and we would like to thank the president for this donation,” said Kanyinji.

He said the students have welcomed the president’s call for them to work hard with an open mind saying they would heed the call so that they achieve the goal of becoming good medical doctors.

In February this year, the students wrote a letter to the president requesting him to assist them with the equipment.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Symon Vuwa Kaunda Monday bemoaned that he lost precious time defending his 21 May, 2019 parliamentary election victory which Peoples Party’s (PP) candidate Ralph Mhone contested in court.

Kaunda said since  Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declared him winner for Nkhata Bay Central Constituency, he has spent almost four months in and out of the Mzuzu High Court defending his seat from his challenger.

Speaking after High Court Judge Thomson Ligowe sustained him as the legitimate winner in the polls, Kaunda said he has been failing to attend to crucial cabinet and parliamentary meetings because of the court case.

“I am happy that finally the truth has come out clearly now. I hope that it is now time for me to seriously go down into business of developing both my constituency as well as my country.

“I have been failing to concentrate on these because of this court case,” Kaunda said.

The minister said, for instance, currently, parliament is in session in Lilongwe but he has been failing to attend adequately because he was required to defend himself in court.

“I just thank God that today this case has ended and my conscience has been made clear now.
“It is now just time for me as well as the other party to work together in initiating development in the constituency,” he said.

Kaunda expressed hope that Mhone’s side will accept that they lost and focus on work to develop the constituency.

“It was good that Honourable Mhone shook my hand and congratulated me after the judge pronounced his judgment.
“To me, this meant a new era for both of us and I am made to believe he did that in good faith,” Kaunda said.

However, Kaunda expressed concern over losing candidates’ tendency to rush to courts even when they know that they really did not do well in the elections.

“This is bad. And I need to stress that, in my case, this has been happening each time I am declared winner in the constituency.
“People deliberately choose not to accept the poll results, which derails development,” Kaunda said.

Mhone refused to give any media interview on the outcome of the case