Maseno University Medical School, The School of Medicine, located at the main Campus in Siriba, is accredited by the Medical Practitioners & Dentists Board. Its mandate is to train and produce health professionals and contribute to bridging the growing demand for medical practitioners in Kenya. The School admitted its pioneer students of the MBChB training programmein January 2012, and has now attained a full cycle of the programme, with an average of 60 students per year.
Pre-clinical teaching occurs at our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities situated in Siriba part of the main campus while clinical clerkships are undertaken in Kisumu, at JaramogiOgingaOdinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) and Kisumu County Referral Hospital.
Vision:
To be a medical school of excellence in the training of health professionals capable of addressing national and global health needs.
Mission:
To produce healthprofessionals equipped with adequate knowledge, skills, professional attitudes and competencies in health care delivery, research and innovation.
Philosophy:
Quality training of health care professionals in the context of future professional practice in hospital and community settings with emphasis on delivery of health care services, research and innovation.
Core Values:
Respect for human life and dignity
Commitment to excellence and service delivery
Practice of knowledge-led and evidence-based medicine
Integrity, respect and professionalism
Creativity and innovation
Brief History of School
At independence one of the biggest challenges for Kenya was addressing the health challenges we faced and delivery of services to the rural community.
With virtually no local physicians and the exodus of the colonial personnel, there was an urgent need to address the requirement of training medical professionals for the new nation.
Addressing this need the government established the first medical school at the University of Nairobi in 1967. Despite this achievement, over the years the institution was unable to meet the ever increasing populations health needs.
Various universities became players in this field, including Maseno University who decided to establish a medical school. The history of our medical school dates back to 2006 during the tenure of Prof. Onyango, the then Vice Chancellor, when the concept of a medical school at Maseno University seriously followed up.
The medical school was formally established in 2009 and the foundation dean, Prof. Joash Aluoch, was appointed. His responsibilities amongst others included overseeing the development of teaching facilities, identification of learning resources and recruitment of faculty amongst other functions. He served in this position up to 2011, when deanship was taken over by Prof. Wilson Odero. Six pre-clinical departments were established and the initial academic and technical staff recruited. These departments, all situated at the main campus in Siriba, were Human Anatomy, Medical Physiology, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Microbiology, Pharmacology and Nursing
In January 2012, the school admitted its pioneer class of 58 medical students, following accreditation by the Medical Practitioners & Dentists Board.
In 2014 the school admitted its first batch of thirty (30) nursing students, who are currently in their fourth year of study. Also in 2014 the department of Family Medicine and Community Health admitted its first postgraduate students into the Master of Medicine in Family Medicine programme.
The next significant development, also in 2014, was recruitment of additional staff to the clinical departments: Internal Medicine, Surgery and Anaesthesiology, Paediatrics and Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radiology and Imaging, Family Medicine and Community Health, Psychiatry and Pathology. This recruitment was in tandem with the transition of the pioneer class from the preclinical to the clinical phase of their training.
An Associate dean was appointed in 2015 to serve as an academic assistant to the dean and stationed at the Kisumu campus.
In 2017 the Department of Nursing within the School of Medicine developed into the School of Nursing following recommendations of the Nursing Council of Kenya.
Also in 2017 a new postgraduate programme, Master of Medicine in General Surgery, was approved by Senate. Currently other postgraduate programmes are being developed, with Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology being submitted to Senate.
Of the pioneer class of medical students, 47 completed their training in March 2018 and were posted to their respective internship stations.
In June 2018, Senate approved a new Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum, a flagship programme in the current University Strategic Plan. The first students to this 5-year programme will be admitted in September 2019.