Scott Hospital

Morija, Lesotho

Lesotho, though independent, is located entirely within the east-central region of the Republic of South Africa. The total land area is 30,000 square kilometers. Approximately 83% of Lesotho's 1.7 million population is Christian. Literacy is 59% and life expectancy is 51 years.

Scott Hospital is an acute care facility of the Lesotho Evangelical Church (LEC) located in the western lowlands of Lesotho in the village of Morija. Settled in 1883 by French Protestant Missionaries, the village now has a population of approximately 12,000 people. In 1864 the hospital was founded by Dr. E. Casalis of the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, and served as a dispensary in the Morija community. In 1938 Scott Hospital was constructed on the same site as the dispensary. The 32-bed hospital was built with funds donated by Mr. William Scott, an English businessman who lived in the Mafeteng community. During the past 50 years, Scott Hospital has grown considerably. Today it has 156 beds, four doctors (three expatriates and one Mosotho), and 50 (this number includes Health Centres and community health services) nurses (all Basotho). The expansion of the hospital services took place in response to the health needs of the ever growing population in the catchment area.

Scott Health Service Area serves 941 villages, each with about 20 to 80 households and an average of six people per household. The population is estimated to be 170,000. Approximately 8.9 percent of the country's population lives within this area. This hospital serves fourteen health centers, five of which belong to the Lesotho Evangelical Church. Two are government owned while the remaining seven are privately owned by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches as well as the Lesotho Red Cross Society.

Scott Hospital offers comprehensive health care. It was one of the first institutions in Lesotho to educate village health workers and to date is still the only health service area hospital that educates "home nurses." These health providers are village health workers who receive special education that provides expertise in the care of patients with long-term or chronic illnesses.

7/98