Health
Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM)
The Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) coordinates under one umbrella the work of a number of different church denominations in the health field and serves as a liaison between the churches and government health authorities. CHAM evolved from World Council of Churches committee meetings in Malawi in 1965. It was established to help coordinate and strengthen the agricultural, industrial, educational and medical development activities of all the Christian missions working in Malawi.
David Gordon Memorial Hospital, Livingstonia
In the 1850s and 1860s the well-known explorer David Livingstone, a Scots Presbyterian, sent out a fervent appeal for missionaries to be sent to Nyasaland (now Malawi.) In 1875 the Free Church of Scotland responded to that appeal by establishing the Livingstonia Mission. The present Synod of Livingstonia, which oversees the David Gordon Memorial (DGM) Hospital, is an outgrowth of that mission. The isolated DGM Hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient care. It also supports five clinics in the surrounding countryside, where the emphasis is placed on primary health care and nutrition.
Ekwendeni Hospital
Ekwendeni Hospital, in northern Malawi, began providing medical care in the late 1890s. The facilities and services have steadily developed since that time. With life expectancy only about 43 years and the infant mortality rate high in the surrounding area of 120,000 Ngoni and Tumbuka peoples, a major priority is working with the government to combat the three main diseases of childhood, malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition, through teaching preventive programs. The hospital also runs a community-based rural development project.
Embangweni Hospital
The Embangweni Hospital, one of five hospitals operated by the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), serves a population of 90,000 people in northern Malawi. It is a 120-bed hospital with over 50,000 outpatients and more than 4,000 inpatients a year. The hospital’s outreach is extensive, including 12 mobile clinics and three health centers, one 40 miles away.
Mulanje Mission Hospital
Mulanje Hospital is located in southern Malawi, 15 km. from the Mozambique border. Mulanje is the only hospital of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Blantyre Synod. The hospital has 140 beds, the majority being for women and children. The hospital handles more than 2,700 deliveries and treats 24,000 outpatients each year. Education and preventive care are a major focus.
Nkhoma Hospital, Nkhoma
Nkhoma Hospital is a large institution providing a wide variety of medical services to its community. It also serves as a referral center for an extensive satellite system of smaller hospitals and clinics. Over 1,500 new patients are seen annually in the eye clinic. Family planning is being taught to village people. The hospital also serves as a training institution. A nurses school at the hospital trains general nurses and midwives. |
