By Lonjezo Mkandawire
Tributes from the healthcare fraternity and the many Malawians have poured after the unexpected death of popular medical doctor Dr Bonus Makanani
Dr Bonus Makanani , Born on 17th October 1965 passed away in his sleep unexpectedly early Saturday morning at his home in Blantyre, Malawi. According to Professor Taha Taha, Friday was just an ordinary day for Bonus. He attended to a patient in the operation theatre, went into the office and had calls with study monitors, chatted with a colleague, and went home.
Dr Makanani worked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Mwaiwathu Hospitals, where he worked so tirelessly as an obstetrician-gynecologist providing life-saving care. He later served as an investigator in ASPIRE and HOPE and was the protocol co-chair for the ongoing DELIVER Study. Bonus Steven Makanani MB BS, FCOG (SA), was an associate professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, and principal investigator (PI)/ investigator of record at the College of Medicine-Johns Hopkins Research Project in Blantyre, a National Institutes of Health-funded HIV/AIDS clinical trials unit.
According to his colleagues at Microbicide Trials Network ” Bonus always had a wry smile on his face. He laughed a lot, though always in soft tones. His voice sounded like no one else’s. He was smart, practical and pragmatic. He was incredibly passionate about caring for pregnant and breastfeeding women and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of women not only in Blantyre but globally”
He is survived by his wife and two daughters. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday 14th July . Mibawa Televison have just announced that they will beam the funeral ceremony live on the TV and their social media pages
