27 research outputs found
Inaugural Speech by in-coming COSECSA-ASEA President, Christopher A Samkange, Lusaka - Zambia December, 2011.
No full textInaugural Speech by in-coming COSECSA-ASEA President, Christopher A Samkange, Lusaka - Zambia December, 2011.
No full textLessons learned during establishment of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Zimbabwe 1995-2001
No full textBackground: The five year training of medical doctors has been conducted through the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zimbabwe since 1963 in two physical sites in Harare; Mount Pleasant Campus for Basic Sciences and Mazowe Street Campus for Clinical Sciences. Annual student enrolment has gradually increased from less than 30 in the early stages to 200 currently. The continuing brain drain of doctors from the country necessitated the Government to instruct the Faculty of Medicine to double its student intake by enrolling a new student intake within three months to address this shortage.
Methods: This descriptive longitudinal study is largely complemented by desk review and reflections from the authors who oversaw the evolution of the Faculty into the College. Authors experienced the transition of the institution over most of the study period and shared first-hand information.
Results: Instruction from Government was used as an opportunity to develop. The Faculty of Medicine developed and began implementation of its inaugural five year strategic plan 1995-2001. The key tenets of the plan were to be a semi-autonomous institution (in relation to the University of Zimbabwe) comprising five Faculties with a designated teaching hospital under joint administration with Government where academicians were to receive similar emoluments. Clinicians were entitled to additional remuneration from Government for the clinical work delivered. The infrastructure was expanded to accommodate 200 medical students annually at the two sites. A government loan secured from the Spanish Protocol was used to purpose build the Health Sciences Building and equipment to accommodate and equip the five faculties.
Discussion: The directive by Government to double medical student intake in order to address the doctor shortages was used as opportunity to address some of the Faculty of Medicine’s academic needs, including infrastructure, professional development and additional academic provisions in line with international trends. The realization of some of the outcomes is on course with the exception of ownership of a teaching hospital, autonomy of the College from the University and additional emoluments for clinicians from government, which are work in progress.strategic planMedical educationupgrading from Faculty of Medicine to College of Health Sciencesownership of teaching hospita
Writing the land : representations of 'the land' and nationalism in Anglophone literature from South Africa and Zimbabwe 1969-2002
No full textAs a material possessIOn and as an imagined space of belonging. land was the
principle draw for European settlers in southern Africa from the 17th century onwards.
The legacy of racial dispossession and conflict that ensued still resonates in the 21 st
century, as post-colonial nation-states face up to the daunting task of redistributing
land between newly enfranchised peasants, commercial farmers and displaced
communities. Representations of 'the land' in literature signal not only geographical
entities but also a variety of social and cultural landscapes. In literature written in
English from southern Africa the semantic terrain of 'the land' is thus constituted by a
diverse range of experiences, encounters and ideologies, testifying to the manifold
contradictions that settler colonialism produced.
The primary concern of this thesis is to examine how writers from Zimbabwe
and South Africa have engaged with these experiences and articulated them as
historical 'structures of feeling' (Williams 1978) in their work. In particular, it
explores the relationship between representations of 'the land' and the articulation of
nationhood and nationalism in selected novels. It argues that certain structures of
feeling rival official nationalist discourses in varied and subversive ways. As a
comparative project, it focuses on literature produced at important historical moments
both before and after the transition to majority rule in South Africa (1994) and
Zimbabwe (1980). A transition between two major structures of feeling is identified
within this comparative horizon. This thesis explores how representations of 'the
land' both propagate and question an ideology of (revolutionary) repossession in the
1970s, but also of (reconciliatory) reform in the 1990s
Lengkhawm Zai: A Singing Tradition of Mizo Christianity in Northeast India
No full textThe Mizo people live in the Indian state of Mizoram. Following the arrival of missionaries in 1894 and a series of spiritual revivals, they have claimed to be a Christian people since about 1930. The Mizo hymn repertoire includes translations of western hymns as well as original compositions, and many of these are often sung with a modified tune and singing style that emerged during the revival period between 1906 and 1930. This singing style and the songs that have been composed specifically for it have come to be known as lengkhawm zai, and represent a Christian but indigenous musical tradition, with associated dance, gestural and instrumental conventions.
The context in which this singing takes place is lengkhawm. It typically takes place in two contexts: at a church service, and at a dedicated event for community singing called zaikhawm, which mainly happens at Christmas.
Can this relatively modern practice be described as traditional singing? In what way has it been shaped by the Christianity of the missionaries and subsequent influences from contact with other musical cultures? In what way does it reflect a continuation of the musical tradition that existed before the missionaries arrived in 1894?
This thesis explores the issues that surround the definition of modern traditions in Christian worship music in the context of lengkhawm, particularly addressing the nature of the exchanges that take place at the earlier points of missionary contact
The Brain Drain Myth: Retention of Specialist Surgical Graduates in East, Central and Southern Africa, 1974–2013
No full textGuidelines for surgeons on establishing projects in low-income countries
No full textBACKGROUND: There is increasing interest by surgeons in high-income countries to support colleagues in low-income countries to improve the provision of surgical care, particularly in rural areas. Such interest may be demonstrated by single individuals, short-term surgical missions, or establishment of partnerships. Such altruistic efforts may cause problems unless properly planned and carried out.METHODS: We reviewed the available literature and consulted widely to establish consensus guidelines for any surgeon considering participating in an initiative to improve surgical care in low-income countries.RESULTS: A series of recommendations is presented. These include ensuring that projects are appropriate, that there is an emphasis on training local healthcare providers in all aspects of perioperative care, that outcomes are monitored, and that initiatives work with local and regional training programs.CONCLUSIONS: With adherence to these recommendations, we hope that future partnerships and missions can maximize their effectiveness and minimize the risks of potential harm done.</p
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of bovine neosporosis in the Khomas region of Namibia
No full textDATA AVAILABILITY : The data gathered during this research is available from the
corresponding author upon reasonable request.Neospora caninum is a coccidian parasite that occurs worldwide and is one of the most important causes of abortion, especially in cattle. However, no studies have been performed in Namibia to determine the N. caninum status in livestock. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of N. caninum in cattle and the associated risk factors in the Khomas region of Namibia. A total of 736 sera were collected from cows in 32 farming establishments. These comprised 698 beef and 38 dairy cattle sera and were tested using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Questionnaires were concurrently administered to determine possible risk factors associated with N. caninum seropositivity. A total of 42 sera were positive (all beef), giving an animal-level seroprevalence rate of 5.7%. Eight of the 32 establishments had at least one positive animal, giving a herd-level seroprevalence of 25%. There was no significant association between seropositivity and the presence of dogs, jackals, history of abortions, farm size, number of cattle or average annual rainfall. The establishments with moderate to high numbers of Feliformia were 9.8 times more likely to be seropositive to N. caninum than those with none to low levels of the former (p = 0.0245). The authors concluded that the seroprevalence level of N. caninum in the Khomas region was relatively low compared with other parts of the world and that the role of Feliformia in the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis needed to be further investigated.
CONTRIBUTION: Serological evidence of bovine neosporosis and the associated risk factors are reported in Namibia for the first time. This study contributes to the scientific body of knowledge on N. caninum in Africa, which is currently limited.The Meat Board of Namibia funded the purchase of the IDEXX ELISA kits used in this study.http://www.ojvr.orgam2024Veterinary Tropical DiseasesSDG-02:Zero HungerSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein
Surgical efficiencies and quality in the performance of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) procedures in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
No full textThis analysis explores the association between elements of surgical efficiency in voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), quality of surgical technique, and the amount of time required to conduct VMMC procedures in actual field settings. Efficiency outcomes are defined in terms of the primary provider's time with the client (PPTC) and total elapsed operating time (TEOT).Two serial cross-sectional surveys of VMMC sites were conducted in Kenya, Republic of South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe in 2011 and 2012. Trained clinicians observed quality of surgical technique and timed 9 steps in the VMMC procedure. Four elements of efficiency (task-shifting, task-sharing [of suturing], rotation among multiple surgical beds, and use of electrocautery) and quality of surgical technique were assessed as explanatory variables. Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were used in the bivariate analysis and linear regression models for the multivariate analyses to test the relationship between these five explanatory variables and two outcomes: PPTC and TEOT. The VMMC procedure TEOT and PPTC averaged 23-25 minutes and 6-15 minutes, respectively, across the four countries and two years. The data showed time savings from task-sharing in suturing and use of electrocautery in South Africa and Zimbabwe (where task-shifting is not authorized). After adjusting for confounders, results demonstrated that having a secondary provider complete suturing and use of electrocautery reduced PPTC. Factors related to TEOT varied by country and year, but task-sharing of suturing and/or electrocautery were significant in two countries. Quality of surgical technique was not significantly related to PPTC or TEOT, except for South Africa in 2012 where higher quality was associated with lower TEOT.SYMMACS data confirm the efficiency benefits of task-sharing of suturing and use of electrocautery for decreasing TEOT. Reduced TEOT and PPTC in high volume setting did not result in decreased quality of surgical care
