Embangweni Hospital
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Embangweni Hospital is a 134-bed hospital located in the southern part of Mzimba district in northern Malawi. The boundaries of our catchment area are the Zambian border on the west and south, the M-1 highway (main north-south road in Malawi) on the east, and Moses Chilenge and Emazwini villages to the north. The hospital serves a population of about 100,000 people, with referral cases often coming from much further away, including Zambia. It also operates 3 remote health centers located in Kalikumbi, Mabiri, and Mpasazi. Travel throughout the Embangweni region can be difficult, especially during the rainy months, November to April. The only access to the M-1, a distance of 30 km, is by either the Jenda or Perekezi Forest dirt roads. Embangweni is situated at an altitude of 4,000 feet, in an area of flat brachystegia woodland.
Work to establish Embangweni Station, also known as "Loudon", was begun by Reverend Donald Fraser and his wife, Dr. Agnes Fraser, missionaries of the Free Church of Scotland, at the end of the 19th century. Clinical work by Dr. Fraser, a friend of David Livingstone, began in 1902. In 1926, under the direction of Dr. W. Turner, the facility expanded to become a rural hospital. Additional buildings were constructed in 1924 and 1940; a maternity ward was added in 1966. During the 1970s, the hospital doubled its size from 38 to 77 beds. In 1989 under the ministry of Dr. Kenneth and Mrs. Nancy McGill, the hospital greatly expanded its facilities and its services to include separate buildings for maternity, pediatrics, male and female general care, as well as a small operating theatre for limited surgeries and caesarian-section deliveries.
[edit] Mission Statement
I "Tiliko kuti tipereke wovwiri wa umoyo na kupharazga ukaboni wa Yesu Khristu"
"We seek to provide excellent healthcare and to preach the good news of Jesus Christ"
[edit] Population Demographics
With a population nearing ten million people, 85% of whom live in rural areas, Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries (GNP per capita = $170). A survey of patients attending Embangweni hospital conducted this year revealed that half have a cash income of less than $50 per year. The national currency (the Kwacha) devalued by 100% over the year 2000, further adding to the economic hardship of the vast majority of Malawians.
The northern region, where Embangweni lies, is less densely populated than the South, but it faces many of the population pressures consistent with underdeveloped countries. A high population growth rate estimated at three percent per year results in too many children born to women at too early an age, too late in life, or too close together. The average Malawian woman will have 7 pregnancies in her lifetime. Nearly half the population is under 15 years of age. Most of the suitable land is already over-cultivated, and dependency on firewood as a major energy source has resulted in widespread deforestation. Subsistence farming is the principle means of employment, and maize forms the staple diet. Tea, coffee, tobacco, cotton, groundnuts, soya and cassava are also grown. Tobacco remains the major [[cash crop[[, accounting for 66% of export income.
[edit] The Hospital in 2000
In 2000, the hospital, in conjunction with the Health Centers, provided 35929 inpatient days, 50710 outpatient visits, and 35985 well-child and antenatal visits.1,967 babies were delivered. In the surgical theatre, there were over 1,000 major and minor surgical procedures performed.
