New Projects
May 1, 2004 by Vicky
1. Medical Laboratory
The Maternity unit, constructed last year with the help of DFID, and which provides ante- and post-natal care as well as delivery facilities, is currently being connected to the existing buildings by a brick-built corridor. Incorporated into the construction work is the Laboratory area. This will give much improvement to the levels of early diagnosis, especially in cases of Malaria, Bilharzia, HIV and other STD’s. Building is well under way and will be completed in the very near future.
Equipping the Laboratory will be a major task, but we have already been promised a Microscope by the Rag Committee of University College London. Other essential equipment includes:
Blood bank; Glucometer; Centrifuge machine; Haemoglobinometer; Science lab clock; Bunsen burners; ind-lab thermometer; various kinds of pipette; test tubes; autoclave test-tube racks; Rotater; various types of test kits; blood bags.
2. Visits
Increasingly people are seeking to spend some time at St. Andrew’s. All pay their own fares and living costs. One girl has just travelled to Mtunthama to work for three months in the school and clinic; a group of 11 young people will be going for a fortnight in July, using their skills in the fields of teaching, general administration and ICT, and building maintenance work; a Maths teacher will be there for about a month in late July/August, and yet another group, including a trainee paediatric nurse, will be visiting for five or six weeks in August/September.
3. Operating Theatre
Application has been made to a large company working in the Mtunthama region, many of whose employees use the St. Andrew’s facilities, for assistance in the building of an Operating Theatre. The company has so far made encouraging noises, and we await what we hope will be confirmation that work can begin on this important development.
4. Letter from Malawi
We have received a letter from Peter Minjale, Clinical Officer at St. Andrew’s Clinic. Peter’s fiancée, Jacqueline Mose, is a nurse at St. Andrew’s Clinic. They hope to be married this year. Click here to read the letter.