Expanding Family Medicine Training to Rural Malawi Improves Access to Primary Care
A mother in rural Mangochi leaves home before dawn with her sick child, and thanks to the availability of family medicine doctors in her community, her child can get the timely primary care they need. According to Dr. Modai Clement Mnenula, head of the Department of Family Medicine at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), this has not always been the case. In previous years, the journey for the mother and sick child meant traveling hundreds of miles to a central hospital and waiting, sometimes for days, to see a primary care specialist.
“Today, due to the presence of family medicine doctors at the district hospital, a family doctor treats her child’s fever, diagnoses her own hidden hypertension, and sets up long-term care for the entire family,” said Dr. Mnenula. He added that family medicine is changing health care in Malawi by delivering comprehensive primary care close to where people live and work.
That’s why Seed and partners have established a new family medicine residency training site at Neno District Hospital. The rural hospital can train up to 10 residents each year.
Seed Global Health, Malawi’s Ministry of Health, KUHeS, and Partners in Health are leading the expansion of family medicine training to increase access to primary health care in rural areas.
In Malawi, more than 85% of the population lives in rural areas, yet specialist primary care services are largely provided in a few central hospitals in urban areas. This leaves rural communities with limited access to high-quality care.
The Ministry of Health plans to have family medicine doctors serving in each of the country’s 28 district hospitals as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s primary health care system. These doctors will provide comprehensive primary care, strengthen clinical education for family medicine students, and advance quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient care. Family medicine doctors support maternal and child health services, mentor other health workers, and ensure continuity of care for patients with chronic conditions through coordinated care and effective referral pathways.
In June 2026, two family medicine residents began training at Neno District Hospital with the support of the Neno District Council and the district health office. As part of Seed Global Health’s commitment to strengthening health workforce education in the country, a Seed-supported family medicine doctor has been deployed to Neno to teach and mentor residents and support faculty. KUHeS is providing teaching and learning materials and facilitating the program’s accreditation process through the Medical Council of Malawi, which regulates medical education and professional practice in the country.
By investing in family medicine, Malawi is strengthening primary health care, advancing universal health coverage, and building a more resilient health system prepared for increased disease burdens, extreme weather, pandemics, and other future crises.
