Simon and Margaret Morgan flew to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi on 21st May.  This is their third visit to the country, which is known as "The warm heart of Africa" where the people are always smiling and always welcoming.

They went because they have been asked to produce a strategic plan for St Luke's Hospital at Malosa - a mission hospital, like so many in the country, with over a hundred beds and one doctor.

Their experience of Malawi on earlier visits is that planning for the future does not always work well in their culture and that too often aid is used to plug the gap when problems arise.  The situation in the country is difficult - 1 in 10 children die before they reach 5 years old, and the average life expectancy fell to below 40 with the increase od HIV/AIDS.

Margaret and Simon's visit to Malawi 2011

"In May this year we set off for Malawi for 8 weeks - to the rural diocese of Upper Shi and within it St Luke's Hospital, Malosa.  This is a 140 bedded District Hospital which runs 5 Health Centres.

The staff salaries are paid by the Government - but the rest of the money required has to be found from patients and charities in Malawi and the rest of the world. 

We had been asked  to help write a 5 year Business Plan for the Hospital and it's Funders by the doctor from the UK, who has since returned home.

This involved all the Management Team (heads of admin, nursing, primary care, pharmacist and chief administrator) and visits to Health Centres and Wards.  These folk were encouraged to plan for their Depatments after doing SWOT analyses; and then place a timescale on the resultant projects.  Photographs were added to the final document which forms part of the 50 year Jubilee celebrations of the hospital within the next 5 years.

Here in the UK we cannot imagine life in African Hospitals where 50% of the population are under 15 years old - and many die before their 5th birthday of malaria, dysentary and pneumonia.  Adults (average life expectancy is 39 years) die of HIV, TB and in childbirth.  All preventable or treatable......................

Please do not hesitate to contact Simon or Margaret if you would like further information or to support St Luke's Hospital or Malawi.

Email address:     margaret@morganspace.co.uk