Du Shumin (centre) checks the recovery of a patient at the MCH (COURTESY)

To many people, especially women at the Mzuzu Central Hospital (MCH) in the Northern Region of Malawi, Du Shumin is a familiar and respected name. This is because of her expertise in cervical cancer treatment and the many women, some of whom never dreamed of living a normal life again, that Du has helped. 

Du, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, was among the 11th batch of medical personnel that China sent to Malawi in January last year, and was posted to the MCH. 

Towela Banda, 32, from Traditional Authority Mabilabo in the Northern Region district of Mzimba, is a cervical cancer survivor.  

When she ran out of options, she made her way to the MCH in search of assistance, but was not sure whether anyone would help her. She had heard about a shortage of doctors and that many cervical cancer patients were on standby. Meanwhile, her friends and relatives had warned her not to get her hopes up. 

“Despite the warning, I had no choice but to go to the hospital, as the local hospital in my area does not have doctors who can help me,” said Banda. 

A few days later, she returned home after being treated at the MCH, much to the surprise of people in her village. 

Improved medical service 

Many people were surprised at Banda’s recovery, but not Doris Kayambo, MCH head of gynaecology and obstetrics. 

“I was the only gynaecologist at the hospital which was not easy. You should know that the MCH is a referral hospital that serves the entire Northern Region and some parts of the Central Region, which one person cannot manage,” she said. 

However, Kayambo disclosed that the arrival of Du from China changed the situation at the hospital. She said Du is dedicated to her work and has been assisting patients since she arrived. 

“I have been working with the Chinese medical teams for eight years. The arrival of Du changed everything in terms of numbers. Probably that is the reason Banda returned home earlier than expected,” she said. 

Kayambo revealed that proper oncology services were previously lacking at the MCH, but that has now improved because of the Chinese doctor. 

“Since the arrival of Du, I have had the privilege of being trained to do oncology surgeries, especially radical hysterectomies for cervical cancer,” said Kayambo. 

“Malawi has got one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world and having few gynaecologists has caused a big challenge for the patients. In addition, procedures that we do for cervical cancer radical hysterectomy is complicated, and not every gynaecologist can do it because it requires special training,” added Kayambo. 

Medical training 

The Chinese doctor not only provides medical services to patients, but also gives specialist training to local doctors. 

Kayambo said that along with her training in radical hysterectomy and proper staging for cervical cancer, the MCH has now established a separate oncology clinic specifically for cervical cancer patients. 

“Du has also trained me to decide whether a patient needs an operation or should be given chemotherapy. Since she arrived, we have been doing two radical hysterectomies weekly, which has helped to provide adequate training for me. It has been one-on-one hands-on training,” said Kayambo. 

The local doctor disclosed that with the growing success of cervical cancer surgeries at the MCH, the number of patients seeking this procedure has also increased. 

“Even some patients from neighbouring countries have come to Malawi specifically for surgery. An example is a patient from Zambia Justina Moyo, who recently underwent a cervical cancer radical surgery at the MCH,” said Kayambo. 

Du said that circumstances forced her to revisit her work at the MCH, especially when it came to a shortage of essential equipment. 

“Malawi is one of the developing countries in the world, and as such, medical facilities and resources are the main challenges. Adapting to these conditions, I fully immersed myself in frontline clinical work at the MCH,” she said. 

According to Du, in less than a month, she noticed the high number of cervical cancer patients, and saw that the MCH mainly opted for conservative treatment. Without radiotherapy being available, chemotherapy was the only option, yet medication was frequently in short supply. 

Realising that radical surgery for cervical cancer could be an effective solution, she also understood that it was difficult to do it alone. 

“I understood that only by training local doctors advanced medical techniques could I help to improve Malawi’s health care and help more patients to receive treatment. Therefore, I actively initiated surgical training, teaching local doctors surgical techniques and answering their questions.”  

Building on this experience, Du continued to train local doctors in performing other complex obstetric and gynaecological surgeries. 

She said they have now successfully conducted nearly 80 cervical cancer radical surgeries, four staging surgeries for endometrial cancer and two cytoreductive surgeries for ovarian cancer.  

In line with this, in mid-July last year, Xinhua News Agency reported that the Malawian Ministry of Health and the National Health Commission of China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between hospitals of the two countries. 

Malawian Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda and then Chinese Ambassador to Malawi Long Zhou represented the two sides during the signing of the MoU. 

According to Chiponda, the agreement focuses on strengthening key areas such as obstetrics and gynaecology of Malawi’s Kamuzu Central Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.