From an email dated Feb 2005
“Today all wards are full. In the Paediatric Ward, each bed has two children and others are lying on the floor. In General ward, others too are lying on the floor. There is congestion. Increasing numbers are coming for tooth extraction.
HIV/AIDS. St. Andrews is doing Voluntary Counselling and Testing. ARV drugs are being given to those who have had VCT and are infected. We have applied to Global Strategies for HIV Prevention for free Nevirapine drugs for pregnant mothers to prevent transmitting HIV to new-born babies.
Some other tests carried out in the Laboratory are: Haemoglobin, Malaria Parasites, Stool analysis, Urine analysis.
FOUNDATIONS. We have just started the Semi-detached house. There has been heavy rains that it was difficult to transport building materials to the site. We have submitted the Theatre plan to the Planners.
HOSPITAL ITEMS. The Ultra-Sound Scanner is functioning. Pregnant women etc are being scanned right here at St. Andrews Clinic. We are proud of it. We can see the hospital growing. God bless you people.
MR ST. ANDREWS CLINIC. An epileptic man, 55 years old, was burnt in a fire during a fit in 2001.He comes twice weekly to receive dressings to cover the wound on his heel. To date he has had some 700 dressings and used 2.1 kilometres of bandages. Finally he has agreed to have a skin graft done under local anaesthetic. By day 8 the skin will be cured. The name Mr St.Andrews comes after the usual coming to the Clinic twice weekly.
Mr. St. Andrew’s Clinic is on the left. He and his family are supported by a family at St.Andrew’s Church.
MANUAL VACCUM ASPIRATION. Japaigo(NGO) are going to train our staff on the MVA programme.
Your prayers are bringing the staff together. We preach about love and staff are trying hard to maintain good relationship with one another.Generally, there is peace within the staff members. May the good Lord be honoured.”
The Clinic is full; the guardian shelter has been completely taken over by the NRU and an alternative must be built; the Operating Theatre is an urgent priority; short-term housing for orphans is now a necessity. Whilst we have some funds for capital projects, the original 100 Club, set up to meet basic costs of medicines, consumables and salaries, can now fund only a proportion of those costs (for example growth in patient numbers and services offered requires more than twice the staff of two years ago). If you are not already a member of the “100 Club” and would like to support Medic Malawi in a regular way, do please contact us.