College of Medicine students in K2.8bn hostel project

Students at the College of Medicine (CoM) have embarked on an ambitious project to construct a three-storey hostel at the Blantyre campus.

The project seeks to ease accommodation problems at CoM, one of the four constituent colleges of the University of Malawi (Unima).

The project’s spokesperson, Zaziwe Gundah, said last week the project is part of commemorations for the college’s 25th anniversary scheduled for September this year.

He said the CoM Students’ Union (Comsu) intends to raise about $4 million (around K2.8 billion) for the construction of the 150-bed hostel.

The project is solely a Comsu-led initiative and the students intend to mobilise the funds both locally and internationally and from CoM alumni.

Although it is a student initiative, Gundah said CoM management is rendering the students support.

“Management has provided land and is also providing administrative support as well as financial management for the project,” said Gundah, a fourth year Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) degree student.

He said the structure will be designed in a way that it will contain a student clinic and Comsu offices.

So far, Gundah said, the students have raised “considerable amount” through individual contributions that has made them kickstart the piloting phase of the project.

A number of students from various programmes are residing off-campus, mostly in rented houses around the city.

Gundah said the development puts the students, particularly females, at a security risk and disrupts studies.