About University of Zambia School of Medicine
About University of Zambia UNZA School of Medicine – Details About University of Zambia UNZA School of Medicine
The University of Zambia School of Medicine is Zambia’s first Medical School. It is situated at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and The Ridgeway Campus on Nationalist Road within the greater City of Lusaka. Its scope of academic instructional delivery has increased over the years to include not only the MB ChB Program but also Pharmacy, Nursing Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Physiotherapy, Environmental Health and Public Health.
The University of Zambia School of Medicine continues to be a prime institution of the Government of the Republic of Zambia in health education. The year 2013 marks the 45th year of our existence and we boast of sending out not only Doctors but also Pharmacists, Biomedical Scientists, Physiotherapists, Environmental Health Officers and Nurses who have made a real difference in Zambian society. We are proud of our achievement and believe that we have been true to our motto of “Service and Excellence”.
Over the years, the School of Medicine has continued to offer quality education in the various health fields. It has also performed quality research which has influenced policy and practice and has greatly contributed to quality clinical service. These have been the cornerstone in Zambia’s quest to attain the health-related millennium development goals (MDGs).
We continue to ride on the tide of positive change that was ushered by the Strategic Plan 2012-2016 which has placed upon our shoulders responsibility for leadership in the health training field. Indeed, we have had significant growth in our capacity for the delivery of a lot more academic good. The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery MB ChB) the curriculum has been reviewed and is in its 2nd year of implementation, and in September 2013 we start the first clinical year on this reviewed curriculum. This gives us excitement that drives us to sharpen our tools for the implementation of this new curriculum. This curriculum is a forerunner of all the other curricula which are currently undergoing the review process as well.
The main change in the curricula is the insistence on each of them being competence-based and innovative in its mode of delivery. This is to break the monotony in the processes of training and to bring innovation into the processes of teaching and learning. This is aimed at producing better quality graduates and providing room for increasing the number of enrolments. This is commendable and I particularly thank the Heads of Programs for making this possible as they have been real vision bearers in this whole process.
Do join us on our mission to“To provide excellent tertiary education and training in health sciences in order to address current and emerging health needs” as we progress towards our vision of being “A leader in Tertiary Health, Education, Care and Research in the Region by 2030”.
Profile About University of Zambia UNZA School of Medicine
The School of Medicine is located at the Ridgeway Campus. The University Teaching Hospital (UTH), a speciality hospital, with a capacity of 1 800 beds is located about half a kilometre away from the Ridgeway Campus. Medical students are accommodated at the Ridgeway Campus and pre-clinical teaching takes place at the same place.
The Dean of the School of Medicine’s Office as well as the Clinical departments and the Department of Community Medicine are located within UTH. The Clinical departments of the hospital correspond with the academic departments of the School so that the University’s head of the academic department is also the head of the hospital department. In the working relationships between the School and the UTH Board, the tasks of the School are threefold: medical training, research and clinical. These tasks are being successfully undertaken by the staff of the School of Medicine and the University Teaching Hospital in a joint effort.
Consultants from the hospital are appointed as honorary lecturers in the School, with corresponding responsibilities for the daily clinical care of the patients in the University Teaching Hospital, at Chainama Hills Hospital, in urban clinics and in consultative departments. Similarly, in addition to teaching responsibilities, the members of staff in the School undertake .clinical care of patients at the UTH and other health institutions.
In order to maintain the standards of education, the School has introduced innovations in the curriculum, which include integrated: problem-based learning and community-based education. The school has, in addition, embarked on an ambitious ten-year Development ‘Ian which has seen the introduction of additional undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. The programmes introduced in the year 1000/2001 are Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy and Postgraduate Diploma Medical Education. In the near future, the School will offer a degree programme in Dentistry.
Historical Review
The School of Medicine was established in 1965, with its first intake in 1966. It obtained its establishment as an independent School of the University Zambia in 1970. The first output of graduates with full medical qualification was in 1973. Since then, the School has presented over 1 200 medical doctors 1 the award of its joint degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor Surgery. In 1981 it commenced postgraduate programmes leading to hig degrees in a number of Clinical areas. The Master of Medicine programme is now offered in Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics: Child Health, Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery. A Master of Public Health programme has been offered since the 1994/95 academic year. The School is also responsible for the higher-level training and education of nurses and offers a four-year programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.
Mission Statement About University of Zambia UNZA School of Medicine
To provide quality education in health sciences producing competent graduates who value lifelong learning and are well prepared to undertake specialist training programmes and able to provide patient care and leadership in medical research that addresses the priority needs of Zambia
Goal Statement About University of Zambia UNZA School of Medicine
To train doctors and nurses, Biomedical scientists, Physiotherapists, Environmental Health scientists, Pharmacists and other health care professionals at the undergraduate level, provide quality patient care and carry out quality research to address the health priorities of our country Zambia.
Role of the School of Medicine in Society
The School of Medicine operates under a broad mandate of the University of Zambia Act No. 11 of 1999 which spells out the following:
- To provide higher education, promote research and advancement of learning; and
- To disseminate knowledge and hold out to all persons, without discrimination, the opportunity of acquiring higher education.
Operating under this broad mandate, the school of Medicine’s formal mandate is to train Medical Doctors, Post Basic Nurses, Biomedical Scientist, Physiotherapists, Environmental Health Scientist, Pharmacist and other health professionals at the tertiary level.