LET'S HONOUR MWELE FOR HER ROLE, LEGACY

Dr Mwele Malecela’s death has undoubtedly left a void in Tanzania’s science and research fields. She’s imprinted an indelible mark with all the efforts she had dedicated to ensuring that Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are given the attention they deserve.

From her dedicated career working at national institutions in the field of medical science and research to her role at the World Health Organisation (WHO) where she worked as the director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Geneva, Switzerland, until she met her untimely death, Dr Malecela was truly a trailblazer in her field.

The outpouring of grief and messages of condolences from dignitaries and others who were inspired by her contribution in the field of science is enough to show that her life truly had an impact and meant something to so many people.

Researchers, medical doctors and medical students are in awe of Dr Malecela’s footprints. Some have shared their sentiments and the lessons learnt by emulating Dr Malecela’s influence.

She remains a national treasure and more should be done to ensure that her legacy lives on. The government should cement the late scientist’s legacy by establishing an award or scholarship in honour of the contribution and great work of Dr Malecela.

There are many ways that Tanzania and the entire world can show gratitude to the relentless efforts Dr Malecela extended to the field of science and research.

She has not only influenced a generation to pick interest in science, but she also established a level of professionalism that is emblematic of a progressive working culture. Truly, such a plethora of positive influence cannot be left to go to waste without being passed on to the next generation and wider community.

Overcoming the ‘science challenge’

When we speak of science in the Tanzanian academic context, there is not much to celebrate about as the number of students who take up science subjects is not impressive. There are reasons to this level of dismal interest, it all boils down to three major things; modality, influence and infrastructure.

Whereas there are efforts put forth to scale up the numbers of those taking up sciences, we are still witnessing dismal growth and even when it comes to the pass rate, sciences are often the most poorly performed subjects.

This is because we still have a long way to go to curb the many challenges facing the science field from an academic angle to career field.

Dr Malecela played a key role in helping change the mindsets of those who viewed sciences as a hard nut to crack. She epitomized a level of fearlessness that is infectious enough to make others want to follow the same path.

With all that has been written and said about Dr Malecela’s contribution to the growth and development of the science and research fields, we need to start laying foundation stones for such headways to remain constantly visible for others to learn from.

The life and times of the great late scientists have truly changed the perception of national service and how one can truly live an impactful life.