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In Malawi, there are currently just five radiology consultants serving a population of over 20 million. This means that access to specialist imaging expertise is limited, particularly outside major hospitals.
Until recently, Malawian doctors interested in radiology had to train abroad, often not returning due to a lack of opportunities back home.
That changed in 2022, when the Radiology MMed Programme was launched at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS).
The course allows Malawian doctors to train as radiologists locally for the first time, increasing expertise within the healthcare system and improving access to imaging services.
One of the newest intakes to the programme is Dr. Olive, who describes joining the course as “nothing short of amazing and a dream come true.”
Meet Olive: Why she chose radiology
Dr. Olive is a Malawian doctor currently training in the Radiology MMed Programme. She grew up in Lilongwe and always knew she wanted to pursue medicine, but like many young doctors in Malawi, she didn’t have much guidance on what specialty to choose.
“I dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood, even before I fully understood the complexities of the medical field. As many other young Malawians, I didn’t have much career guidance prior to joining the medical field. I am fortunate to have found myself exactly where I’m meant to be, in radiology.”
Her interest in radiology developed during her final year of medical school, when she saw a radiologist helping a team of physicians interpret a challenging chest radiograph.
“I watched one of the radiologists talk through a challenging chest radiograph with physicians in adult medicine who were unsure of what was going on with their patient. Watching them develop a plan on how they’d proceed with the patient and seeing how much the discussion helped them to gain clarity and confidence in proceeding with the patient’s care was quite inspiring.”
One of Olive’s biggest role models in radiology has been Dr. Karen, a consultant radiologist and the postgraduate lead for the radiology MMed programme at KUHeS.
“One of my biggest inspirations to pursue radiology was Dr. Karen. She is a consultant radiologist and the postgraduate lead for radiology at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. Dr. Karen was one of the first radiologists I encountered in medical school. I particularly like her amazing work ethic, her willingness to help and her humility and patience in interacting with different hospital cadres. She goes out of her way for everyone to understand the pathologies observed on different types of imaging.”
She added,
“Prior to pursuing radiology, one of the misconceptions I had was that radiology is very laid back and uninvolved with patients and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Seeing Dr. Karen work has made me realise that there are a lot of high-impact clinical correlations that radiologists make that make significant improvements in the lives of patients.”
What it’s like to train as a Radiologist in Malawi
Radiology is a relatively new specialty in Malawi, and training locally comes with both opportunities and challenges. For Olive, being able to stay in the country while training is a big advantage.
“I also do not take for granted the unique opportunity I have to be doing this programme in the comfort of my home country. Training locally allows me to learn about common pathologies in our context and to gain confidence in identifying and describing them. It also allows me to improve my understanding of our healthcare system and to know where I fit in and how to handle different challenging situations. It allows me to be in proximity with family, which is also really nice.”
One of the skills Olive has been learning is abdominal ultrasound scanning. She describes one of her most exciting moments so far:
“One moment that has stood out to me was when I began to scan a patient on our list and I identified an intra-abdominal fluid collection which Dr. Karen confirmed to be there. This was such an exciting moment for me. I felt like spending the whole day doing scans just to see what else I’d be able to find. Just a few weeks ago, I could hardly tell what structures I was looking at on the screen and though there’s still so much to learn, I’m amazed at how much we’ve already covered.”
How Worldwide Radiology supports the programme
The Radiology MMed Programme is supported by Worldwide Radiology. We work with KUHeS and the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research Programme (MLW) to provide:
Remote and in-person teaching from international radiology specialists.
Teleradiology MDT support, connecting trainees with expert radiologists.
Training in subspecialty areas that aren’t covered locally.
Access to Collective Minds, a platform for case sharing and expert feedback.
For Olive, this additional support has been invaluable.
“Every Thursday, we join a Zoom session where Jeremy, a reporting radiographer, helps us go through musculoskeletal radiographs. I’ve learnt a lot from him. The Collective Minds platform also allows us to share difficult cases with radiology specialists and get feedback. It makes such a difference in my learning.”
WWR’s Dr. Liz Joekes explains how the organisation is helping to strengthen radiology training in Malawi:
“Until this programme started, Malawian doctors had to leave the country to train as radiologists, and many didn’t return. By supporting local training and fostering international collaborations, we’re helping to build a sustainable pipeline of radiology expertise within Malawi.”
What’s next?
The first group of Malawian-trained radiologists is expected to complete the course in 2026, which will be a big step forward for the country’s imaging services.
Dr. Karen, who leads the programme in Malawi, reflects on why this is so important:
“With only five radiologists in the country, the gap in access to imaging services is huge. By training new radiologists locally, we’re ensuring that patients - whether in big hospitals or rural areas - have better access to accurate diagnoses.”
For Olive, this is just the beginning of her journey in radiology.
“I’d encourage anyone interested in radiology - especially in a setting like ours - to check out what Worldwide Radiology is doing. The support they provide really makes a difference in helping us develop the skills we need to improve patient care in Malawi.”
Would you like to support radiology training in Malawi? Get in touch with us at admin@worldwideradiology.org.
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