We’re delighted to announce Ammalife’s third Bursary for outstanding Clinical Officers from Malawi. Dr Paul O’Hare’s generous bequest in memory of his father means that Yolam Kameme, an experienced Clinical Officer, will now be able to attend medical school and qualify as a doctor. Yolam graduated with a BSc (First Class Honors) from Warwick University last month. He was among a group of 46 experienced Clinical Officers who completed their degrees while working full time as clinicians in very demanding conditions in Malawi. His degree, in Obstetrics and Leadership, was a pioneering course devised by Warwick University to build upon the clinical experience the mature students  all had. Many very able young Malawians have no chance to go to medical school because of the costs involved. Instead, many train as Clinical Officers where, despite very poor pay and status, they provide the backbone of the country’s clinical care. Research has shown that older students, such as Yolam, are much more likely to stay within Malawi once they qualify as doctors. Ammalife is confident that Yolam has the insight and compassion to make a very good doctor and the foresight to be a leader in improving the health of mothers in Malawi.

Yolam (2nd.right), beaming with pleasure, during the BSc Obstetrics and Leadership award ceremony on October 2014