The key points are temporarily unavailable. You can still read the full Story below.
Main Points
Medical schools across Madagascar’s six provinces are currently facing a significant shortage of teaching staff, impacting the quality of clinical training for students. The lack of specialized educators has created a gap between theoretical instruction and practical medical application, according to reports from students and faculty members.
Students have expressed concerns regarding their preparation for professional practice. Patrick Aubrycot Belalahy, a sixth-year student at a provincial public university, noted that his training in forensic medicine has been limited to theory, leaving him without practical experience. Other students reported that internships in specialized fields, such as cardiology, are often supervised by general practitioners due to a lack of local specialists. Furthermore, students highlighted that some disciplines are taught by assistants rather than tenured professors, which they believe affects the quality of their education.
The structural challenges are attributed to a persistent shortage of qualified instructors. To maintain operations, universities have been forced to retain retired educators to support reduced staff numbers. Faculty members point to the lengthy career path required to become a medical professor and the emigration of qualified professionals as primary factors contributing to the staffing crisis.
This situation is consistent across all six medical faculties in the country. In some instances, a single professor is responsible for covering a specific subject across multiple universities, while other specialized disciplines are represented by only two or three experts nationwide.
Article and image source: www.lexpress.mg
