Senga Bay, Malawi … This popular lake side resort area is approximately 19 kilometers east of the Salima Trading Center, an area of Malawi known for its kind people and popular lake side resorts and desirable accommodations. For many of the local residents Senga Bay has another attraction. While visitors go there for fun, sports, accommodations and food … “yes” it is a great place for all of these; It is also the place many of the local people go if they are in need of medical care. It is Cool Runnings lakeshore guesthouse, a beautiful, scenic location on the shore of Lake Malawi.
However, for many local people it is the gate to Cool Runnings that attracts their attention. The gate is a symbol of medical care to the local people when they are in trouble. When they are sick, or have other medical problems they can go to the gate and call out. Someone will come to help them. Samantha Ludick, the owner of this “cool” get away on the lake, has worked with Suzi Stephens RN, Medical Director for the Malawi Project, to maintain this “first aid center” for the past 15 years. When she or her staff hear the call for help they come to open the gate and offer assistance.
In this case it was Flexion, one of the staff members who came at the request of a young woman named Fatima. Her leg had been infected for several days, and the problem was getting worse. There was no place else for her to go for help.
It is often the case that local government health care facilities are out of supplies, and especially medicines, bandages, and ointments for treating wounds and infections. The Clinic program is on the regular schedule for supplies from the Malawi Project so they can help when others hospitals nearby can do nothing.
Clinic at the Gate and the staff at Cool Runnings did not let Fatima down. Thanks to Flexion and Samantha, working closely with the Malawi Project and World Emergency Relief, the needed medicine was ready and available for the next patient, in this case young Fatima. In a short time she was on her way home. The wound that could have become a major infection would soon be just a tiny red spot on her leg, soon to disappear completely.
- Reported by Wilson Tembo, Malawi Project