Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital was named after the Queen of England, at its official opening, during a state visit by the Queen Mother in July 1957. The Hospital is the major referral hospital for southern Malawi, and cares for millions of people, with many being referred from other regions of Malawi.
Like other health care facilities, this hospital faces an acute shortage of medical supplies, drugs and equipment to meet demand. The population of 16 million relies on government to provide health care, as 80% of the people live below the poverty line. It is not surprising to note that many children, women and men are failing to get much needed care because of the inability of the government to fund health care due to their limited resources. At the present time the situation is so critical 40% of the country’s budget comes from outside donors.
Likewise, the shortage of wheelchairs is huge. Health workers do without, and patients who cannot walk are hand picked for the few wheelchairs that are available. Departments scramble for old wheelchairs to move patients from one room to the next. “The hospital has over 50 departments all sharing a few old wheelchairs,” an official responsible for mobility devices complained.
After receiving 15 wheelchairs, the Chief Hospital Administrator, Mr. Muhango said, “We really want to thank you for the timely donation of these wheelchairs. We have had an acute shortage for a long time. Our patients are carried on old, broken wheelchairs that are, in many cases, no longer even repairable.”
The Country’s four major hospitals are receiving 15 wheelchairs each from the recent shipment made available through joint efforts of the Free Wheelchair Mission, the Malawi Project, and the Namikango Mission.
– Wilson Isaac Tembo and Richard Stephens
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