Rationale: 

According to the WHO Status of the Health Care System in Zambia, Zambia’s doctor patient ratio of 1:12000 lags behind the expected standard of 1:5000. This situation coupled with the exodus of medical doctors to fill the increasing demand for health professionals in developed countries, if not addressed, is projected to worsen service delivery of an already overstretched health care system. In addition, the Zambian government plans to build about 650 health centres across the nation in the next seven years and this may increase the regional and geographical inequalities in the distribution of the health workers in the country.

Therefore, increasing the quantity and quality of medical personnel is one of the strategies that the government and its stakeholders have included in the 2017-2027 Health Care Strategy. There are only four public universities and five private universities that are currently offering an MBChB programme, amid an ever-increasing demand for places, leading to a shortage of places for medical students in the country.

In order to contribute to the capacity building programme of health professionals, Unicaf University is proposing to implement an innovative MBChB education and training programme in Zambia to address the issue of healthcare workforce shortages, improving healthcare access, tailoring medical education to local needs, retaining medical professionals, enhancing quality of care, promoting research and innovation, and strengthening the overall healthcare system.

The enrolment plan for Unicaf University’s MBChB programme will be on a semester basis at the start of semester with an initial minimum number of 30 students per semester, giving a maximum of 60 students per year and steadily growing to a maximum of 60 per semester in year seven of implementation to give room for expansion of facilities. The students will proceed in these cohorts through the 6 years to graduation.

The total number of students expected to be in the school (i.e. year 1 to year 6 of implementation) at 30 students per cohort per semester per year will be 1071, assuming an attrition rate of 10% per year.

The training model adopted by Unicaf University is compliant to training models currently being utilised by medical schools in Zambia.

The curriculum model allows the lecturer to drive the integration by using their practical experience. The model is innovative enough to provide flexibility to integrated subjects such as preclinical skills training and basic science courses.

The Unicaf University’s Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree programme provides training of medical doctors, through a combination of teaching methods that will include lectures, tutorials, seminars, physical laboratories practical’s, skills laboratories, and simulation laboratories using top-of-the-range internationally accepted technologies. Clinical attachments in hospital settings will be an integral part of the training during contact sessions. These sessions will be supplemented with innovative virtual training support sessions in addition to the physical sessions. Problem-based learning, small groups, practical sessions, and clinical skills sessions, linked to extensive clinical placements, bedside teaching, and considerable online support, ensure the training is up to date. The students over the training period of 6 years will develop the attitudes, attributes, skills, and knowledge necessary to succeed as medical doctors in the country and elsewhere.

Students will develop communication skills and learn about the art and science of medicine in its wider social and ethical context. They will learn the importance of health and wellness through disease treatment, prevention, and research. The study of the foundations of medicine course will be subservient and tightly linked to students’ participation in extensive clinical placements in healthcare facilities through the integrated clinical practice course. Students will develop an understanding of the importance of lifelong learning and how to be resourceful in seeking information and adapting to new technologies.

The teaching of the foundations of medicine courses in the first, second and third years of the programme as reflected in disciplines such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, and public health, will be synchronised in the timetable with clinical exposure and the development of clinical thinking, through the study of integrated clinical practice courses.

The foundations of medicine teaching, will specifically focus on the clinical relevance of the teaching material and consequently use active teaching methods, development of critical thinking, communicational skills, and other professional competencies among the students.

Problem-based learning will play a significant role in the teaching of the foundations of medicine and integrated clinical practice courses. Problem-oriented learning will help students in their ability to synthesise and integrate theoretical concepts with clinical medicine. Training will also focus on ensuring that students achieve the competencies outlined in the medical programme.

The exploration of problem-based learning-oriented case studies among students will be the basis of linking the foundations of medicine disciplines to the clinical setting with a focus on student- centred learning, mediated through tutorials, group work, seminars and self-study.

Unicaf University being a Pan-African University accredited by the British Accreditation Council, proposes a curriculum that meets the requirements of medical professionals in several countries in Africa and beyond. Hence, the proposed method of delivery integrates innovative ways of delivering a medical curriculum to such diverse group of students in order to meet those international requirements. With over 160 countries represented by our current students in other programmes, we expect a significant number of Zambian students, to benefit from the experience of learning along with the international students expected to study in this programme.

Upon graduation, students will have become efficient caregivers, and competent professionals with a fundamental understanding of the science of medicine and its application in society, resulting in highly competent and caring doctors.

Our graduates will be sort after and assimilated into health institutions in their countries of origin, thereby promoting Zambia as a hub for training good medical doctors and not competing for the local job market but complementing the efforts of training and education providers.

Unicaf University introduced this programme in line with the national goals of human resource development and socio-economic development, and in fulfilment of its own stated mission, vision, and core values. In taking the programme forward Unicaf University is also mindful of the current national efforts to promote public sector reform and has consulted the Vision 2030 with the goal of transforming Zambia into a prosperous middle-income nation as well as the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) 2022-2026, “Socioeconomic Transformation for Improved Livelihoods” which identifies four strategic development areas including Economic Transformation and Job Creation, Human and Social Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Good Governance Environment.

Unicaf University utilises a Medical Programme Advisory Board, which is comprised of hospital business people, medical professionals, technologists, employers and executives of local and international medical entities that advises on the design and update of the academic content of the programme so as to ensure the relevance and acceptability of the programme.

Employers largely require that what students learn and what they take out of courses is aligned with the employer’s specific needs. As Unicaf University we have a dual obligation here. One is to make sure that we are creating a sense of value for employers which means that the degree programmes meet the employer’s needs. Secondly, is to be true to the role of our university and make sure that the programmes we are delivering are rigorous and of high academic standards.

Aims of the Programme

The aim of the programme is to prepare individuals to provide communities with improved health and wellbeing by addressing their continuing health needs through visionary leadership in proven biomedical, social, and technological interventions and research.

Learning Outcomes (Based on ZQF Level Descriptors)

At the end of the programme, the student will be expected to:

a) Achieve an understanding of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, social, behavioural, and population sciences, demonstrating an integration of basic sciences with clinical practice.

b) Demonstrate the ability to Identify and assess new information relevant to a question and to apply this knowledge to clinical problem-solving and scientific inquiry.

c) Apply knowledge to identify gaps in their own learning, focus on personal growth and lifelong learning, and engage in scholarly inquiry aimed at advancing knowledge in the ultimate service of relieving human suffering.

d) Demonstrate the ability to provide evidence-based, compassionate patient care that is appropriate for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illness and the promotion of health, while effectively collaborating with other health professionals as part of a team.

e) Commit to the highest standards of professional responsibility, integrity, and accountability; adherence to ethical principles; self-awareness; and moral reasoning in relation to patients, colleagues, and society.

f) Communicate effectively verbally, nonverbally and in writing to build collaborative and trusting relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.

g) Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger systems in which illness is experienced and in which care is delivered, recognising the social determinants of health and health care, and showing sensitivity to diverse populations, whether based on ethnicity, culture, gender, economic status, or sexual orientation.

h) Demonstrate the awareness of the importance of public health in addressing current trends in the global spread of communicable diseases.

• Direct entry to the MBChB programme requires a full Grade 12 Certificate with 5 GCE O-Levels at credit or higher including English and Mathematics or international equivalent qualification, plus 
• A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics or Physics from a recognised institution with an average grade of B.
• For Graduate entry: Applicants holding a recognized BSc in Human Biology or BSc in Medical Sciences in addition to the direct entry requirements stated above may be considered for graduate entry. Graduate entrants may be eligible for exemption from pre-clinical modules.
• English proficiency: Grade 6 (Credit) or better on the General Certificate of Education or international equivalent qualification or demonstrated by approved English Language Tests.
• Valid passport or national ID