Currently, according to Lipato, the country has the nurses’ vacancy rate of 60%.

“Year in year out, nurses and midwives are graduating from public, mission and some private training institutions but very few are getting jobs,” said Lipato.

Lipato who spoke on Saturday during the College’s 15th graduation ceremony pleaded with Government and private health facilities to increase their recruitment rates.

The college has this year graduated 237 nurses and midwives, the biggest cohort since its first graduation 15 years ago.

“The increase of graduates this year is an indication that the demand for tertiary education for the two professions is very high but the country has very few institutions that offer quality nursing and midwifery education,” said Lipato.

Board Chairperson of the Nursing and Midwifery College, Dr. Esnarth Kapito, challenged the graduates to handle their clients with love and care as a demonstration that they were bred at a religious institution.

“Apart from the formal health education, we also offer religious lessons with emphasis on love and care to our patients and as such we expect our nurses and midwives to behave differently when they go out there,” said Dr. Kapito.

Reverend Edna Navaya who is Moderator of Blantyre CCAP Synod, the college directorate told Zodiak Online that the synod is proud to be associated with the development of health programmes through its colleges and hospitals.

“As a synod we pledge to continue supporting government in health, education, food security and other areas as we are called to serve the human being entirely (spiritually and physically),” said Reverend Navaya. 

“God fearing nurses and midwives; the cornerstone for quality health care services in Malawi and beyond,” was this year’s graduation theme.