Sir,
The College of Medicine1–3 opened in 1991 as a community-oriented medical school. It aims to conduct research that is relevant to Malawi and the southern African region. Since 1997 the College of Medicine has been hosting annual research dissemination days at the end of each academic year. Ministry of Health policy makers, other University of Malawi Colleges and international research institutions in the country are invited to participate. The research dissemination conference is a forum where research conducted at and by the College of Medicine and its research affiliated institutions are presented to other researchers, government policy makers and other stakeholders.
I have analysed the research topics that have been presented at the annual dissemination days of the College of Medicine, 1998–2001. Copies of abstracts for the College of Medicine Research Dissemination Days between 1998 and 2001 were identified and reviewed. I recorded the total number of papers presented, the distribution between oral and poster presentations and the domain or field(s) that best describes the research work. I classified each presentation as closely as possible into one of the following subject areas: Child Health, Maternal Health; HIV/AIDS/STDs, Communicable Diseases, Basic Medical Sciences, Health and Medical Education, Surgery and Psychiatry.
There were a total of 117 presentations, 77 (66%) made orally and 40 (34%) as posters. 29 (25%) were single authored, 28 (24%) had two authors, 13 (11%) three authors and 47 (40%) more than 3 authors. The table depicts the distribution of topics. Out of the 24 presentations in the BMS domain, 11 (46%) were in Anatomy.
The most common topic of presentationsat the College's Annual Research Dissemination Day is communicable diseases. As communicable diseases are the major causes of both adult and paediatric morbidity and mortality in Malawi 4–6, this would suggest that researchers at the College of Medicine are engaged in ‘things that matter’ for Malawi. Maternal health issues also assume particular interest among researchers at the College. The country's maternal mortality ratio had been estimated at 620 deaths per 100,000 live births in the 1990s8,9. The Demographic Health Survey 2000 and a study by Kalumbi and Tadesse7,10 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2000 report higher levels in the maternal mortality ratio than had been previously reported. Malawi's MMR now stands at 1,120 per 100,000 live births. The bulk of these deaths result from preventable causes. Malawi's infant and under-five mortality, estimated at 104 deaths per 1,000 live births and 189 deaths per 1,000 live births are among the highest in the world7. It is therefore in keeping that the College also emphasizes research on this aspect of human health.
Meanwhile there were virtually no presentations on non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, malignancies, trauma and diabetes mellitus, although these diseases are increasingly becoming major causes of morbidity and mortality in the country11,12.
I recognize the fact that not all research carried out at the College of Medicine and its collaborating research institutions is reported at the Dissemination Day. However, it is reasonable to say the presentations made are of topics that are considered of importance to Malawi.
Table: major topics of presentations, 1998–2001
| Subject Area | Number of Presentations |
| Communicable Diseases | 47 |
| Maternal Health | 24 |
| Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) | 24 |
| Child Health | 15 |
| HIV/AIDS/STD | 12 |
| Surgery | 6 |
| Health/Medical Education | 5 |
| Psychiatry | 1 |
Note: Some presentations had more than one domain of interest.
References
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