Dr. Bright Chirambo

Dr. Bright Chirambo is one of Malawi's most experienced general surgeons, based at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre — the country's primary referral hospital and its most advanced surgical centre. With 19 years of surgical experience, Dr. Chirambo has built a reputation for versatility and technical skill across the full range of general, trauma, and oncological surgery that QECH's demanding caseload demands. QECH's surgical department is one of the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa, serving a catchment population of several million patients from Blantyre and the wider Southern Region of Malawi, and Dr. Chirambo's seniority and experience make him a linchpin of its operating capacity. His trilingual competency in English, Chichewa, and Tumbuka — the latter spoken widely in Malawi's Northern Region — reflects his commitment to communicating directly with patients from across the country in their preferred language. Dr. Chirambo has particular expertise in surgical oncology, managing breast cancer, thyroid malignancies, and Kaposi's sarcoma — an AIDS-defining malignancy that remains prevalent in Malawi given the country's high HIV burden. He also manages a high volume of trauma surgery for patients with road traffic injuries and interpersonal violence. He is a supervisor for surgical residents at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and an active contributor to the COSECSA surgical training network.

Dr. Chirambo completed his MBChB at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Blantyre and pursued his surgical residency at QECH, earning his MMed (Surgery). He subsequently pursued his Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (FCS ECSA), completing advanced surgical training and examinations through the COSECSA pathway. He has participated in advanced oncological surgery workshops through the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and in trauma surgery skills training through the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons. He holds ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) provider certification.

Dr. Chirambo's surgical expertise covers a wide spectrum. In emergency surgery, he is highly proficient in appendicectomy, damage control laparotomy for abdominal trauma, splenectomy, and management of perforated peptic ulcer. In elective surgery, he performs hernia repair, bowel resection for colorectal conditions, thyroidectomy for goitre and malignancy, mastectomy with axillary clearance for breast cancer, and skin excision and grafting for Kaposi's sarcoma and other cutaneous malignancies. He performs colostomy formation and reversal for bowel conditions and manages stoma complications. His trauma surgery experience includes managing splenic and liver lacerations, diaphragmatic injuries, and mesenteric trauma — injuries common in the context of Malawi's high road traffic accident burden.

Dr. Chirambo has published in the Malawi Medical Journal and the East and Central African Journal of Surgery on breast cancer outcomes at QECH, surgical complications of Kaposi's sarcoma, and trauma epidemiology in Blantyre. He has contributed to the Surgical Society of Malawi's national surgical needs assessment and participated in the COSECSA-supported global surgery research network. He has presented at AORTIC and COSECSA conferences on oncological surgical capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Chirambo consults in English, Chichewa, and Tumbuka and is experienced in managing international patients in Blantyre including researchers, humanitarian workers, and members of the Malawian diaspora returning from the United Kingdom or the United States. He assesses and manages both emergency and elective surgical conditions for international patients and provides comprehensive preoperative and postoperative documentation for patients who need to continue surgical follow-up abroad. For complex oncological surgery beyond QECH's capacity, he coordinates referrals to South Africa.

Dr. Chirambo was recognised by COSECSA for his contributions to surgical training and education in Malawi and for his role as a surgical supervisor and examiner in the COSECSA Fellowship programme. He received an award from the Surgical Society of Malawi for sustained clinical excellence and was commended by the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences for his dedication to postgraduate surgical education at QECH over nearly two decades.