Visit by St. Peter’s School, Exeter
Visit by students from St. Peter’s Church of England School, Exeter to St Andrew’s Hospital, Mtunthama, Malawi, April 2006
At the beginning of our trip, we spent five days working in and around the hospital. We spent our time working in the kindergarten and feeding programme, painting murals in the reception and painting the new operating theatre. This was a special experience because not only were we helping practically but we were also in the centre of the community, meeting new people and playing with the children.
Everyone at the clinic was so welcoming – they really went out of their way to look after us and make us feel that we were doing something valuable for the hospital. In the NRU we were able to help the nurses weighing and measuring the children, mixing feeds and keeping records up to date. Some of the children were really sick and their mothers had walked for miles to bring them to the hospital, but when we started to play with them and give them toys or balloons, they became really excited and animated.
It is good to know that the decorating we did in the new Operating Theatre has helped in a small way to get this fabulous new facility completed. We heard how, at present, people have to travel 30km to Kasungu for emergency operations such as Caesarean Sections and that many patients don’t survive the trip or the wait in the government hospital. When the Operating Theatre is open, it will make a huge difference to the care that St. Andrew’s can offer.
Newsletter: February 2006
Looking ahead, we fear that prospects for a reasonable harvest this year are not good. The growing season began well in December last with adequate rain, but by the end of January there had been no rain for three weeks and crops were beginning to dry out. Without significant rainfall in early February there will be further food shortages later in the year.
Last year a group of students from Wrekin College, Shropshire, travelled out to Malawi to work on the new Orphan House for which they had already raised the building costs. As well as completing the interior decorating with bright, lively cartoon figures across the walls, many of them undertook a range of tasks within the hospital, such as in the laboratory and in the under-5 clinic. The orphan house now accommodates 21 residents and provides meals for many more who live with adoptive families in the village.
The new orphan house
For the last month Alice Dwyer, a medical student from University of Sydney, Australia, has been working as a volunteer at St. Andrew’s Hospital, as part of her Elective. We hope to have an account of her time in Mtunthama shortly, but have received glowing reports from hospital staff, including “Alice loves the little ones very much”. She has spent considerable time in the Under-5 unit.
Last year Kyle Danielson, from Canada, spent six weeks working as a volunteer at the hospital. He made an enormous contribution to the life and work of the hospital while he was there and this year he is planning to go again, this time accompanied by a group of nurses and possibly even a surgeon! Kyle has also, since his return to Canada, raised significant sums of money and sent valuable equipment out to St. Andrew’s. He is looking at the possibility of establishing Medic Malawi, Canada, as a charity in its own right.
Two experienced dentists from Plymouth, UK, plan to spend about three weeks at St Andrew’s Hospital during late June/early July. They will also spend some time in the Dental Unit at Kasungu General Hospital. This is the way they have chosen to celebrate their Silver Wedding!
Sally Symonds, an English lady resident in Australia, decided that she would celebrate her birthday lasat year by doing a sponsored sky-dive to raise funds for Medic Malawi. We are so grateful for the £1300 thus raised. And incidently, it was her 70th birthday she was celebrating!
In April this year a group of students, all girls, from St Peter’s School, Exeter, will be travelling to Malawi to work on a number of projects on the campus, including work in the Under-5 clinics and quite possibly with the orphans in the new Orphan House. We wish them a safe trip and hope they have an exciting time. We look forward to hearing their reports.
Newsletter: August 2005
The Staff at the Hospital now numbers 43, with the prospect of an increase in staffing this month, if the Malawi Government implements its promised review of establishments in Rural Health Centres.
DFID has funded “top-up”allowances for Clinical Staff in an attempt to persuade them not to apply for posts in other countries where the financial rewards are so much higher. We are fortunate at St. Andrew’s in having a waiting list of applicants for Clinical posts.
Harvests this year have ranged from ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’, with the consequence that serious food shortage is inevitable within the next few months. Already the Nutritional Rehabilitation Unit for Under-5 children has 10 in-patients and 17 out-patients: at this time of year we would normally expect 2 or 3 in-patients. Ours is the only NRU in the District, and is training other health care workers in the management of chronic malnutrition. What was built as the Guardian Shelter for the Clinic is now completely taken over by the NRU, and so a new Guardian Shelter will have to be constructed. Malnutrition in children continues to be a major problem.
Over the last four months 120 under- fives were tested for anaemia: of those, 5 had normal haemoglobin levels, 43 had mild anaemia and 72 severe anaemia. Link those figures with 44% of under fives tested for malaria being positive, and you see just how vulnerable these children are.
In the ante-natal dept. there are integrated education programmes taking place every day – nutrition, baby care, family planning, HIV education. We currently have one Outreach Clinic which involves an 80 km round trip every month for a Clinical Officer, a nurse and a Health Care worker. We are in discussions with the District Health Officer to begin a second Outreach Clinic (this one only a 60 km round trip!). At these Clinics work is done in clinical, immunisation and health education spheres.
St. Andrew’s is also working with Government and NGO sources in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and other STI’s. Currently in Malawi there are estimated to be 170,000 patients in need of ARV drugs, but only sufficient medication this year for 35,000. We also now have access to free palliative care drugs such as morphine. A room in the Hospital is being refurbished as a VCR(Voluntary Counselling and Testing) centre whilst we wait for the result of an application to the Global Interfaith Programme for funding to develop a purpose-built centre. Local volunteers from the villages are being trained as counsellors.
The Maternity Unit goes from strength to strength. Increasingly expectant mothers are being persuaded to have their babies in hospital where proper care is available in the event of problems, and more and more they are staying in hospital for 48 hours after delivery.
One new baby weighed only 800grms at birth, but because she was born in hospital where she can be kept warm in an incubator, she will survive. Her twin sister weighed 1.2 kg., and is also progressing well.
Wrekin College in Shropshire funded the construction of an Orphan House which will eventually accommodate 32 children and their carers, as well as being a day-centre for many more local orphan children. The centre will provide a meal every day for all the needy orphan children in the Mtunthama area. A group of students from Wrekin spent a couple of weeks decorating the inside of the orphan house, as well as working at the hospital. In addition other young people from St.Andrew’s Church, Plymouth, and one volunteer nurse from Canada have spent time at the Hospital in July and August.
The current situation is immensely encouraging. A significant amount of maize has been purchased ready to respond to the expected food shortage; the Maternity Unit is delivering over 50 babies a month; the NRU is now providing a sophisticated and well-funded programme to counter some of the effects of chronic malnutrition in children; the orphan house will open this month; almost 100 children are being sponsored through school. Of course there are problems. In the cold weather there have been some very serious burns cases – all children; malaria and pneumonia are rife; malnutrition is an ongoing problem; and anti-malarial drugs, on sale cheaply in small shops throughout the country, are literally poisoning people as they contain dangerous chemicals.
The Operating Theatre in early August. Construction is now at lintel level, but we desperately need funding to complete the building. Once completed, this facility will make a huge difference to the range of procedures the Hospital will be able to carry out.
Looking ahead, our immediate aims are:
- to complete the building of the Operating Theatre;
- to achieve a purpose built VCT unit;
- to construct the necessary post-operative wards;
- to build a Dental Unit;
- to build a new Guardian Shelter to replace the one now used for NRU;
- to build the extra staff houses we need as staff numbers increase;
- to construct an administration block, releasing rooms in the Hospital for clinical work.
The “100 Club”, our main source of income, was set up to meet routine running costs; these have more than doubled as the Hospital has grown. Members of the “100 Club” make regular monthly contributions of £10 or more. If you could help in this way, please contact us.
Thank you all for your continuing support.
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.
Teaching in All Saints SDSS, Mtunthama by Pauline Arkle
I taught daily for a month during July/August 2004. You could say it was a busman’s holiday since teaching maths is what I do for my living! The lesson with Form 4 (57 students) started at 8 am and lasted nearly 2 hours, followed by Form 2. (75 students). Forms 1 and 3 were on holiday, being non-exam classes.
Both classes had good attendance and enjoyed the Maths lessons. In Secondary schools in Malawi education has to be paid for. (100 Kwatcha – about 50 pence per week). Some students receive sponsorship through Medic Malawi. Those who cannot pay drop out, save up, and then repeat the year. Those who do not pass the end of year exams will repeat the year, if finances permit. Unlike the UK, the classes have similar ability but not age. Form 4 students ages ranged from 15 to 22+ years.
Maths level was Higher GCSE and A level standard. Students passing exams in October (when the school year ends) can be awarded MSC (Malawi Secondary Certificate). Enough credits will get them a place in college or university. All students were eager to learn, knowing an education is a privilege and is the key to success.
Equipment is basic; most students still used log books. Calculators are expensive (£20 in Lilongwe for one costing about a fiver in UK) so few students have them although the exam board now permits their use in examinations. Several students shared pencils and rulers, though I gave every student a pen at the start. Only one student pretended to have lost it to try to get another! I didn’t fall for that! Textbooks were not available. Malawi students are brilliant at mental arithmetic and can carry out complicated procedures, e.g. cancelling down fractions, with the greatest of ease. Many UK students never develop these skills.
It was a really enjoyable and fulfilling experience and such a contrast to UK schools. It was especially good renewing contact with the staff and some students I taught last year.
