Ndishishi made these comments yesterday after the establishment on Friday, of a senior management level Technical Committee tasked to comprehensively address the challenges the School faces.
The committeee will consult and interview as many stakeholders as possible among them the Health Professions Councils of Namibia, Namibia Qualifications Authority, health officials at training facilities, Unam officials including the chairman of the Council, medical specialists and practitioners.
The setting up of the technical committee that comprises health, education as well as Unam officials, and will be led by the PSes from the two ministries, is a result of reports that the students were not being well trained.
Ndishishi said as a result, they are busy revising the curriculum, and that the final year students will need an additional 20 months to qualify.
“If they can work day and night to fit in the 20 months that they lost, then they can graduate,” Ndishishi said,
adding that inasmuch as the school needs to meet international standards, it also needs to meet standards expected of them by the ministry.
To meet such standards, a statement released on Friday gives the Joint Technical Committee three weeks to complete its task and compile a comprehensive report with very clear recommendations which will be submitted to government for advice and action.
The terms for reference for the technical committee are: to review the legal framework which established the school of medicine; to consider the governance, administration and management structures; to review the Faculty of Health Sciences with the objective of recommending two structures - one for the Clinical Training and another for the Academic Training; to review the content and structure of the training programme to ensure conformity with local and international standards; prioritise the training facilities which have been identified in the Roadmap for the first phase for revamp; to outline the recruitment, accreditation and registration systems and procedures which are in place;to outline the requirements and the sytems regarding the attendance, evaluation and examination; to ensure that a continuous assessment programme on the capacity of trainers. students ratio per trainer and training facilities are in place; and to peruse and implement the recommendations contained in the report on the study commissioned by the health ministry and Unam that assessed the training at the school of medicine.
Once government has adopted and approved the report, the committee will revert to the public to inform about the recommendations.
On Nyarango’s appointment, Ndishishi washed his hands saying he was brought in by Unam Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangula.
Ndishishi also questioned Nyarango’s qualifications and his operations at the school of medicine.
“Nyarango was appointed by Hangula. Where did he get his PhD? Is he even registered to treat anybody? Can he put his hands on a patient? How can someone who is not registered to treat a person, train people to treat patients?” Ndishishi asked.
He further said Nyarango was destroying the country, citing the dean’s position on deployment of students in the north for internship. Nyarango allegedly wanted students to be in the north for half of their internship.
“The fact that some patients are referred to the hospitals in Windhoek, is because the hospitals in the north are not equipped to properly train doctors,” Ndishishi told The Namibian.
The same issue was also raised by the school of medicine former lecturer, Dr Elvis Daniels, who left after disagreeing with Nyarango over the matter. Daniels had suggested that the students should spend 20% of training time in the north and 80% in Windhoek.
Ndishishi said the consultants raised valid points and concerns on the training of students under the current curriculum and that Nyarango is using the statement that the consultants are afraid of competition as an excuse to divert attention from the issue that under the current system, the students are not getting proper training and to enter the market.
Ndishishi said it takes six years to become a doctor and another four years to be a specialist. He questioned where the graduates will practice if they are not qualified.
The permanent secretary also questioned the title of founding dean which Nyarango allegedly gave himself, and questioned which law accorded him the title.
“There is a law that gave our former president, Sam Nujoma the title of Founding Father, what law gave Nyarango the title of founding dean?” Ndishishi asked.
The Namibian could not get comment from Nyarango, Hangula nor Cornelius Weyulu, the chairperson of the Health Professions Council yesterday.