Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s students pursuing Clinical Medicine are set for training and practice, after being indexed by the Clinical Officers Council (COC) of Kenya. The exercise, spearheaded by the COC Secretariat-Ms. Janet Mwenda, saw over three hundred (300) students obtain index numbers. These numbers will be used to track their progress throughout training, and determine their eligibility to sit for the professional exams upon graduation. On Wednesday, 11th September, 2024, the Council’s team paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs)-Prof. Hussein Golicha, to brief him on the activity, which kicked off on Monday, 9th September, 2024.
“As a University, we strive to maintain a good relationship with professional bodies. By engaging with these associations, our students are able to know what is required of them in order to have a seamless transition into the professional world,” stated Prof. Golicha during the courtesy call. The Deputy Vice Chancellor assured COC that MMUST will continue to comply with its regulations, for the sake of the students. “Health sciences programmes play a very central role in this institution as they attract a significant number of students. I am happy that our students have undergone indexing and I am sure that they too are excited,” remarked Prof. Golicha.
MMUST and COC staff hold discussions at the office of the DVC (Academic and Student Affairs).
The Dean-School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology (SPHBS&T), Dr. Evans Raballah, who was also present during the meeting, revealed that delegates from COC were in MMUST in April this year. He added, “the team conducted an inspection and confirmed that our students were fit for indexing. Today is indeed a great day for us as a School because I am certain that the students will do their professional exams and get licensed to practice as Clinical Officers.”
“The Clinical Officers Council of Kenya is conducting this exercise through invitation by MMUST, in consultation with the Commission for University Education. I would like to appreciate the Council for honoring the invitation and supporting our students to acquire index numbers,” said the Acting Chairperson-Department of Health Profession Education (Where the programme is housed), Dr. Joseph Choge. Dr. Choge stated that he looked forward to implementing the Council’s recommendations, expressing hope that all students will be indexed.
COC’s Ms. Janet Mwenda gives her remarks during the meeting.
In her remarks, Ms. Mwenda pointed out that indexing is part of the regulations in Clinical Medicine, saying that the process is supposed to be carried out within sixty (60) days after admission. “During the exercise, we capture the minimum entry requirements for the programme, and check whether the students have qualified to pursue Clinical Medicine: we do this in both Diploma and Bachelors programmes. We also examine the quality of training, finding out if the institution is offering the right curriculum and if it has been accredited,” she stated. Ms. Mwenda was accompanied by her colleague, Mr. Stephen Musyoni.
Indexing is the process of assigning qualified students with unique identifiers. The process is applicable to all those enrolled for Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Higher Diploma programmes, Degree in Clinical Medicine, as well as Degree in Community Health from accredited training institutions. With the indexing, MMUST Clinical Medicine students are indeed better placed to go through a successful training experience, and there is no doubt that their transition into the world of work will be less stressful.
Photos by Joshua Chiro
