MUA HOSPITAL APPEAL

Mua Hospital is situated close to the Western shore of Lake Malawi, about 130km south of Lilongwe, the nations capital.  The hospital, which will celebrate it centenary in 2011, was founded by the White Fathers and is the property of the Catholic Diocese of Dedza.   It is administered by a Board, representative of the local community and by an Advisory Committee.  Mua hospital provides 140 beds and employs about one hundred and eighty staff in total.  The hospital admits about 7500 patients per year, the majority of whom are treated for malaria.  Approximately 350 surgical procedures are conducted annually. Mua hospital serves as a district hospital to a population of some 170,000 people, comparable to the population of the catchment area served by St. James in Dublin.  The geographical area served by the hospital is greater than that of a large Irish county. Mua hospital has an annual budget of MKa83m, about 450,000. It receives about 65,000 from the Government of Malawi.  The remainder must be raised from donors, patient contributions etc., there is always an annual deficit, increasing each year.   Notwithstanding its very difficult operating environment, Mua Hospital is very well  run. However it simply does not have available to it the resources to acquire new or to refurbish its existing equipment. This inevitably results in sometimes dangerously inadequate capabilities. The operating theatre is a case in point, it is totally inadequate, characterised by its dated, sometimes unserviceable equipment.  The hospital urgently needs a new theatre and with modern equipment, the hospital will be enabled to provide major procedures, hitherto not remotely possible.  The existence of such a facility in this area of Central Malawi will serve as a catalyst to enhance local surgical skills by attracting overseas donors to provide professional training.