Caring for the malnourished – …nutrition field practice in Tanga,Tanzania..!!

If you have a chance to speak to other students in other universities who pursue the same professional courses like we do then you will know how unique MUCHS is. Yes! exclusive in the sense of experiences students pass through, from classes, clinical rotations and the most fascinating community medicine. Though these programmes are customary and routine every time they have a different taste. If your taste was not what you were asked then it’s what you were answered, either an answer for a question you didn’t ask or a question you never expected.

It’s part of the curriculum for second year medical students as part of their study to

Malaria vaccine: An awakening promise towards Equal and Sustainable World Benefit

It’s known in human disease history that no discovery has brought about a massive impact in diseases control like the discovery of vaccines. Since the time of the famous Jenner, father of vaccinology, nothing weighs like this golden unearthing and nothing defines development as this discovery.

Now as the world is busy with statistics of 1.1mil mortality death per year,3000 death of under fives per day and one child dying for every thirty seconds by malaria, scholars’ minds in health especially students should change attitude on seeing this monster as a tropical disease, killer of the poor, the weak and the young. All these data and facts have helped no kid in Africa dying of the disease or have helped any pregnant woman who strive day and night as breadwinner for her family but late in night sleep with no mosquito net and succumb to this serial killer.

Brains in particular young vigilant brains should tilt to the awakening promises seen in malaria vaccination. The current findings have shown that malaria vaccine will be an ideal tool in fighting this disease. Findings in Mozambique on children protected and morbidity reduction by the malaria vaccine trials should be taken seriously by students as gears into attaining a true solution to this problem. More researches and studies by students and the experienced should be directed to this area.

Third world countries should put more man power and money in this innovation to see true advancement, for the discovery will have a great impact on their developments and their people.
It’s worth noting that, no disease control strategy will curb malaria in the tropics were poverty is a song and diseases are the dancers than a long, sustainable and attainable control that malaria vaccine can provide.

Impoverishing the powerless

The struggle toward economic supremacy has been man’s initiative since time immemorial. Globalization in its true context of free market and economy has been wrongly used particularly on developing countries. While a contextual meaning of globalization goes back as far as hundred years, little can be seen especially in Africa. What we are seeing is the increase in gaps, the haves and the have-nots who struggle to level the unparalleled growth an increased inequality

True globalization would be making the powerless powerful and the weaker stronger rather than snatching the few powerful made by professionals into what is now called free labour market. While these countries are struggling to increase their brain gains, globalization is draining the immature, few brains made by these countries. Developing countries have the urge to invest and develop; this has been shown plainly in the increase of education institutions nevertheless economically powerful nations in the name of more pay, good working environments seize and cheat them into jobs below standard. Developing countries are trying to show that they are not poor because they lack natural resources or because nature is cruel to them, but because powerless as they are, they cant battle in the arena of the powerful who are ready empowered by their countries with capital, exposure and will to win the powerless souls.

International communities need to ensure that this trend which is economically crippling the developing nation is put to a stop. The drain should be reversed into a brain gain, or rather brain circulation by allowing a more lucrative, true and fair labour market.
Developing countries need to look deep into the policies that govern payments for the few elites that are produced. If it takes millions to educate them it is worth paying them well rather than wasting their brains and the education costs incurred.

ISWT-essay 2006

Is it about the size and sex of the lion or its capture?

When Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln
Grounds in the 60’s to many that sounded as a mere day dream and hardly unachievable. If he would have had a chance to leave and see how the world had changed as he had dreamt, everybody would have called him a prophet, a future teller or a foreseer. Same set-up can be learnt if we are to evaluate the ongoing campus activities. If dreams are to come true then why not dream? If you don’t think so just check on this passed activity of a few weeks ago.

DARUSO at the college has carried out its normal annual elections but this year with a different outlook. Many people come forward to contest for the posts, some withdrawing on the way and a tight screening by the electoral committee.
But the breath taking scenarios was the inclusion of two female candidates who to the astonishment of many have proved to be as capable as their male counterparts. From the total number of contestants who were screened by the electoral committee, female students emerged heroic since none of them was screened out.
New and strong manifestos were heard and now many can be echoed in people’s minds once they look on read expired election campaign posters on notice boards or if they meet a face familiar to them as the campaigner’s...

When one contestant said “I urge you to elect a scientific politician rather than a political scientist” all who were at the political rally nodded their heads. If it was a sign of them appreciating or misunderstanding no one knows, but all that is known is that phrase was unprecedented and well said.

The support which was seen provided by fellow male students on the two female contestants show that sex is no more a determinant of leadership qualities as it was thought earlier in stone ages or during the male dominating eras of the 18 century..
Among the most striking slogans were given by males who seemed to support the two females in various campaigns contrary to past experiences. “It’s not the size of the lion or its sex but the size of its capture according to its strength” one male student said.

One female student wanted voters to take her as a capable candidate and a strong leader but not as a woman “I can lead and I am strong; that’s why I want you to vote for me not just because I am a woman”
The questions were also well selected especially when one voter asked if the contestant was planning to be a duck leading its ducklings or a hen escorting its chicks on his mode of leadership if he would be elected.
A few faces which were listening turned lemon skinned for they thought he had insulted them as ducklings and chicks. “How dare he call future professionals those filthy names? How dare he?” one lamented.

One’s perspective on the awareness of gender equity and equality at this college and all higher learning institution in Tanzania can be evaluated on this activity.” If female students will materialize as winners on the 3rd –April then no one will question the roles played by gender programs and clubs at the college”...my friend who is a gender facilitator at this college said while seeming to acknowledge his position in the struggle towards gender equality.

The battle didn’t end in the campaigns but up to the Election Day on calm Sunday of 3rd April. Despite that people were required to vote a day after the already set date; they turned up in a large number. That same day was the day when people had to pay their last respect to the late university chancellor Bomani at Nkrumah hall. The sorrow of loosing a loving person was like a gear to choosing someone who will spearhead the visions and missions put forward by the late ambassador.

Actually the entire voting process was a success for many people turned out in a large number to support their candidates. Males and females stood as witnesses for their candidates at Mabibo hostel and MUCHS campus polling stations...
When the counting was done at the late evening and the results announced, it happened that, contrary to some beliefs the female candidate had emerged a winner of the presidency... this might has been a majority belief because history was not her side as a female. She emerged with votes enough to claim a constructional presidential post with more than a 1/3 win as required. Actually she snatched 405 from the total 760 votes making her to acquire a 53.3%

The contender of the vice president in the female category didn’t win but she had a second seat after a male challenger.
This can be evaluated on the expression of capability and leadership quality by the contestants while at the same time voters awarding themselves what they want on qualitative basis rather than physical or sex basis.
After the elections and the campaigning sleepless nights, many eyes are directed to the elected leaders if they will prove their manifestos by producing a stable government with an outspoken leadership quality which will carry their expectations to completions.
The road to the journey taken by the DARUSO-MUCHS members is seen as a challenge whether it is student organization with a new leadership outlook or a new gender outlook with the same leadership perspective...

If the future could be foreseen through the present, the world could minimize mistakes done by trusted minds but if we fear making mistakes in the future by not deciding through the present then we have no future.

(During the DARUSO 2005 election)

When the dead teach the leaving!!

“It’s the only place where the dead teach the living” echoed one of the senior medical students. I could not’t imagine such a situation happening anywhere on the globe. I said to myself this is a nightmare and I am dreaming. But when one of my friends asked me if I have heard that sentence I knew I was awake

That was my first day at MUCHS.I knew that my dream had come true for having a chance to step in a medical school and nothing could come between me and my dream coming true.

“Dr” was the initial I had inscribed on my notebook the day I left home for college. I made sure every one would read it all the way on the bus stand to my hall of residence. I felt like those days when my mom had taken my hand and introduced me to my kindergarten teacher. All the joy of putting on a new pair of shorts and black shoes was incomparable. Albeit this was different, stories on how it was supposed to be didn’t match my expectation. Patients, injections, blood, gloves were the only words that revolved in my mind once one mentioned the word medicine.

It was a sunny morning just like the other days of September in Dar es Salaam. I had put on my best shirt since the timetable said we will have a talk with the principal then we would be shown around the college thereafter. The speech was remarkable with the principal introducing the members of the high table with nothing less; Professor X, doctor Y and so other tittles I had heard but never seen one with one. Then he ended by introducing himself with the same forewords “professor” something clicked my mind ‘this place is no joke, everyone has such a long name ’.I sensed that may be some have all the titles but don’t mention them to save time. I could imagine mine being purely traditional and my other surname too, adding those initials would consume not less than five minutes just introducing me. A smile filled my face…!

After the welcoming note some senior students paraded us around the college. Every word they used sounded scientific and purely medical. “You will be adducting, abducting and circumdacting all the way to the CPL before you get all your gastrocnemius, satorius, and your gluteus fatigue”. Before he could finish his fellow added ”by the time you get up in the morning all your lattissimus will be paining but not much as your sternocleidomastoid and trapezius. They couldn’t resist using abbreviation so we could have more questions on what the letters stood for. One of them who seemed more keen on HIV/AIDS talked much about the situation at college and then he stood boldly and loudly spout out a sentence that soothed every bodies mind ”A pregnant girl is HIV positive unless proved otherwise” the corners of my lips twitched; these guys are indisputable!

When we reached the laboratories there was this lab written “no admission” Our guides made sure we read the sign and it’s when he gave us that notorious sentence which turned my expectations into a nightmare.
I don’t remember anything he said but all the time he would mention this word “cadaver” a word I came latter on to realize carried no weight than its counterpart corps.

Days passed and every time I would dream of nothing but that room and that word .But before I recomposed my esteem our lecturer announced we would be starting practical soon and all of us had to fetch white coats and that soon was nothing than the following day. That night I couldn’t sleep. My imagination gyrated between the expectation and the reality. “Will I faint as he said? will I run away as he hinted? Maybe I shouldn’t go; my fellows will give me the experience so I will see if I can face the reality, may be…..maybe…..” All were maybes till my alarm clock work me up for classes on that day I will never forget.

As we were arranged in groups I could see solid faces and erect students. No one talked or moved. The only sound you could hear was the humming of the air-conditioner. Although the room felt cool I could see streaks of sweat on some faces. Everybody looked white from the coats we wore and this remained me of the stories in the Holly books on how saints will all look like on the resurrection day. I was shoved on one table which had about other nine white-coated-frightened students. I opened my eyes anxiously on the object which laid on the steel table in front of us covered in a plastic bag. Then there came a loud voice from our lecturer that we had to open the bags and follow the manuals as it was stipulated.

No on moved for a second and then everybody glanced on his or her colleague as if they had not heard what was said or it was said in a language only understood by the objects lying on the steel tables. Slowly I could see how people started to move their arms towards the object as young kids learn to touch objects; clumsily and cautiously. In about five minutes all the bags were off and all eyes were as large as tennis balls. Slowly I moved my hands touching with one fingertip to another till the entire palm rested on the skin. Yes, I can feel it…Yes, I can touch it… Yes, I can do it…… everything was “yes” in my mind…..!!! One could see those faces once solid as rocks turning fleshy and round from smiles and soft whispers..

A voice was heard from one corner as one started to read the dissection manual and all heads turned to see if that voice came from a person they came in with or one they found inside. In about a minute I could hear reading sounds and grudging sounds as people swallowed saliva and others tried to wash away the taste that came from chemicals that filled the room from the objects we latter started calling cadaver.

As the day was approaching to the end every body part ached from standing up for a long time but no one could feel it since were all sharing our experience.
“Ours was a man “said one girl with a grin on her face as if she had seen her Mr. charming.
“Ours was a woman” I said, and we both busted into laughter.
I could think of nothing than taking a bath and when I reached the shower room my body was smelly as the cadaver and all my eyes were red from the tears that came from the chemicals.

As I climbed on my bed to sleep that night I couldn’t think of anything than going back to a room where the dead teach the living!!

sept 2004/MD2