Malawi Clinics

Charitable status for Westgate/Zingwangwa link?

Posted on November 3, 2011 by malawiclinics

Following the success of recent events by patients and staff at Westgate Medical Practice, Dundee, Scotland to raise funds for their colleagues in their twin clinic at Zingwangwa, Blantyre, Malawi we have been exploring ways to take advantage of UK tax relief on charitable donations. We are considering registering as a charity, separate but associated with the Scotland Malawi Partnership, so that donors can claim tax relief and thus increase the amount raised. This would also enable us to raise funds for Zingwangwa using on line interent facilities. Charity status requires that trustees are appointed, accounts audited and regular reports produced. What do you think?

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Malawi Minister of Health Visits Scotland

Posted on November 3, 2011 by malawiclinics

The Right Honourable Dr Jean Kalilani is visiting Scotland this week to cement links between the two countries. Dr Kalilani attended a Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) Forum and met with representatives of some of the SMP projects. The leads of each project had an opportunity to describe their work, highlight acheivement, and outline the challenges they face. A common theme was for each project to be aware of other initiatives and to avoid duplication of effort. Dr Kalilani thanked the SMP and associated proejcts for their work and outlined the need for future work to be within the framwork being developed by her department. Dr Kalilani has a particular interest in empowering women and promoting equality issues, and has experience of using micro-finance of small business loans to local women, similar to the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.

The problems of supplying equippment to clinics and hospitals in Malawi was highlighted. The Twinning Clinics Project Director used the analogy of the ‘Wedding List’ to illustrate how Malawian Health Care Workers could list and cost what equippment and materials they needed and post these on a website accessible to colleagues and potential donors in Scotland. Donors could then choose and purchase items from this list. Sourcing of equippment and delivery to clinics and hospitals could then be done in a co-ordinated way, purchasing locally where possible. In the same way that friends and family purchase presents from a couple ‘Wedding List’, donors in Scotland could purchase and thus donate goods known to be wanted and valued by their Malawian Coleagues.

Do post your own comments on suggestions on this topic.

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Zingwangwa – what do you need?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by malawiclinics

The staff and patients at Westgate Clinic, Dundee, Scotland have raised more than their planned target for support to Zingwangwa this year. We have several hundred pounds sterling available to help with training or other needs at Zingwangwa. Ideas and suggestions welcome.

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Mountain walk

Posted on October 11, 2011 by malawiclinics

Medical, nursing and admin staff from Westgate Medical Practice, Dundee, Scotland, recently held a sponsored walk up the mountain of Dreish, height 3045 feet. On the summit we proudly displayed the Malawian flag in honour of our friends at Zingwangwa. The funds raised will help to pay for another year of Internet and e-mail services for staff at Zingwangwa.

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Jack Stephen’s 96th birthday party

Posted on October 11, 2011 by malawiclinics

Mr Jack Stephen of Dundee, Scotland who is a patient at Westgate Medical Practice(Twinned with Zingwanga) asked all his friends and family to donate money to Zingwangwa instead of buying him presents. His family held a party at his daughter Jackie’s home, and raised a total of £750. We are very grateful to Jack and his family for their generosity. The staff at Westgate will discuss with their colleagues in Zingwangwa how best to use these funds.

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Westgate staff in Scotland raise funds for Zingwangwa

Posted on March 31, 2011 by malawiclinics

Staff in Westgate, Dundee, Scotland are holding two events to raise funds for their Malawi twin – Zingwangwa, Blantyre. They are holding a Malawi lunch where doctors, nurses and reception staff will eat a traditional Malawian meal. Proceeds from the lunch will go to help Zingwangwa maintain its internet link. In May, all the staff at Westgate are going on a sponsored walk in the Scottish Highlands. This will involve a climb of a local mountain and low level walks. Again, money raised through sponsorship will go to Zingwangwa.

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Project enters new phase

Posted on March 31, 2011 by malawiclinics

The initial aim of linking Scottish General Practices (GP) with clinics in Malawi has been acheived. The ‘start up’ funding from the Scottish government has now expired and we are reliant on individual GP practices supporting their Malawi Clinic ‘Twin’. Established examples are Westgate, Dundee with Zingwangwa, Blantyre and Whitefriars, Perth with Matawale, Zomba. As internet access becomes earier in Malawi we hope that providing connections will be supported within the education or health structure of Malawi. Meantime, individual Scottish Practices are trying to keep their Malawi Clinic Twin supplied with internet access.

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Getting rash after taking sweet (sugary) foods

Posted on September 17, 2010 by malawiclinics

Here are three different patients with a similar problem. The problem is that they get urticaria rash after taking sugar based foods and products. Below is the summary I tried to compile. Unfortunately I can’t trace them now, it seems two of them moved to other parts of the country to look for jobs and one died last week (female patient) secondly to road traffic accident .

Name, sex, age, date seen (the day we first met at clinic, this was followed with days of review)	Baobab Chete (not real name), male, 27, 05/07/10.	Samuel Sesa (not real name), male, 38, 08/06/10.	Ellube Malire (not real name), female, 40, 01/01/10.
complaint	Getting rash, sore throat, cough after taking sugary food	Same complaint plus runny nose, sneezing and cough	Same complaint plus sneezing and cough
History of presenting illness	He started noticing this problem when he was in std 1 (about 6yrs) after taking sugarcane with friends at school and this was the only sugary food he could take for the family could not afford to buy sugar for tea or breakfast. The reaction (rash, cough) was immediate and resolved within two hrs on its own. In severe cases, he could have sore throat which would last for several days. The problem continued at secondary school after having porridge or tea with sugar. Before coming to me he has been visiting different medical clinics only to be given antihistamines (By the time he was coming to me he already made his mind not to take sugary foods, this time around he came with malaria and had an opportunity to ask the relationship between sugar and the reaction of which I had no answer for his problem)	Started having this problem when he was about seven months. It was the mother who noticed unusual rash on her son’s body after giving her son porridge. She attributed her son’s problem to the type of flour (maize) she was giving to the son, as a results she stopped feeding him. But was shocked to see the same problem developing after giving her son tea with sugar few days after she stopped feeding her son the porridge. She later concluded that the problem was not the flour but the sugar she was adding to the food. Again she stopped giving her son sugary food. But as a child, he could still eat food with sugar in the absence of her mum and develop the rash. Later it stopped when he was about four years (according to him the problem stopped after taking local herbs). The problem started again just three months ago (at 38 years) and decided to seek medical help after local herb has failed this time around.	Started having this problem when she was 12 years with symptoms of rash. Five years later, the problem got worse with symptoms of severe rash, sore throat, wheezes and breathlessness and was advised not to take sugary foods by one of the medics, that time (in 1987). This problem of having reaction after taking sugary was discovered upon asking for allergy the time she came to the clinic after asthma attack.
Drug history	When the rash was severe not resolving on its own used to take piriton (antihistamines)	Used to take antihistamines and local herbs	Used antihistamines
Past medical history	Has history of Allergic conjunctivitis and asthma	History of Asthma	History of Asthma
Allergy	Allergic to strong perfumes, pollen in addition to above problem	In addition to above also allergic to strong perfumes these causes asthmatic attack.	Allergic to tobacco fumes, used to have diarrhoea after taking fresh milk and dust.
Social history	Married with 2 children, doing farming	Married with 3 children, a farmer.	Married with 9 children once worked in tobacco estate but stopped due to tobacco fumes.
Family history	Only person with this problem in a family of five	There is history of asthma in the family and his first born son shows similar symptoms of rash	Only person with this problem in a family of four but has history of similar problem from her grandmother who died in 1981.

Well, the above complaints seems somehow vague, in the sense that no any other information is given concerning the other types of sugar i.e. faint sugar based food and products like milk, cassava, green maize, sweet potato, though some of these food have an element of sweetness. But among the three patients none gave history of reaction after taking these foods.

May be the reactions were there but probably minor, that’s why none of them reported about them.

I know about some food which cause reactions but not with sugar based. Is there anybody with an answer to this problem?

CHRISTOPHER MLOZOWA, MPEMBA HEALTH CENTRE, BLANTYRE, MALAWI.

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Tepid Sponging

Posted on August 6, 2010 by malawiclinics

One day in our class we were divided on ‘Tepid Sponging‘ as a treatment to high temperature.

The proponent of ‘Tepid Sponging’ were of the views that ‘Tepid Sponging‘ treat high temperature by cooling whereas we the proponents held the views that ‘Tepid Sponging’ will increase the temperature further and cause the patient discomfort and possible harm as it results in a compasatory response by the hypothalamus, which will activate heat generating activities like chills and shivering.

It’s compromising on an unstable patient by depleting his metabolic reserve and can create a new temperature spike, which is as high or higher than original one and may even increase the patient’s temperature.

The patient feeling weak, especially during the early stages then the temperature is still rising.

However, here in Malawi ‘Tepid Sponging’ is greatly advocated in high temperature treatment. Regarding the above points, what are the readers opinion? May those who know more about ‘Tepid Sponging‘ enlighten us.

Denis Kalimbira-3rd Year Nurse-Midwife student-Malawi College of Health Sciences.

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What an unforgetable day at Mpemba H/Centre-5th May 2010

Posted on May 5, 2010 by malawiclinics

A home without visitors, surely people would suspect something wrong with the occupants at the home. It was a great day, May the 5th when we (Mpemba staff) received two groups of important visitors.

Firstly, it was Honorable deputy Minister of Health Theresa Gloria Mwale MP with her crew comprises of the second deputy to the speaker of National Assembly who is also the MP of the area Hon. Mphande, the DC Mr. Makanga, the Zonal Supervisor Dr Kamoto, the District Health Officer Dr Chatsika and the DNO Mrs. Mwasigala.

The main agenda for the tour was to familiarize the place, discuss with the health centre staff and the district officials on problems and developments at Mpemba.

This was followed by the visiting of Scotland Malawi Partnership twin sisters/brothers. The delegates were led by Mr. Chawala who is the coordinator for the programme. Among the people were; Sam Riddell of Westgate H/C (Dundee), Pam Wilson of Muirhead H/C (Dundee) and Marion Foster of Whitefriars Health Centre (Perth). I must commend Mr. Chawala for bringing the visitors to Mpemba for they have seen our centre. I wish to visit Scotland one day. You can learn what other people are doing from writings but you also need to see what they are doing

with your eyes to make a complete learning process.

Guys come to Mpemba you will learn a lot of things in different fields.

Christopher Mlozowa, Mpemba H/C Blantyre Malawi.

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