Malawi June 2016 Blog
Ngwelero. A visit to Primary Care in Malawi
Posted on June 30, 2016
Wednesday I visited Ngwelero, Malawi a very rural clinic run by Dignitas in a remote part of Zomba district. Over 80% of this country's population lives in a very rural setting. Indulging me in one obscure musical reference to reach it one literally must drive on a road to nowhere.
Urology in Zomba, Malawi. reflecting on Surgical care in a Resource-limited country
Posted on June 29, 2016
This is a repost of a piece I wrote for British Journal of Urology International. The link to the original can be found at the bottom of this piece.
At the recent AUA meeting in San Diego as at all of our major meetings, a
The Teen Club. Taking care of HIV +ve Adolescents
Posted on June 26, 2016
On Saturday I took a trip to the further reaches of the district to visit Thuchila a Dignitas’ Teen Club. It is one of currently 32 such Teen Clubs run by Dignitas. There are several more planned. The project has seen remarkable growth since the first the first one was established at Tisungane
Understanding Surgical Training Standards in Africa. Meet Dr Eric Borgstein
Posted on June 25, 2016
I took a trip to Blantyre, Malawi’s second largest city, on Friday. My aim was to meet Dr Eric Borgstein a very impressive paediatric surgeon at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. The medical school of the University of Malawi is based in Blantyre as are now some surgical training programs. (th
A Visit to the Tisungane Clinic
Posted on June 22, 2016
Today I spent the morning at Dignitas’ flagship Tisungane Clinic. It is from here that many of Dignitas' accomplishments can be seen. The HIV pandemic in Africa did not enjoy the access to a class of antiretroviral drugs that the developed world has had since 1996. We have converted HIV from a
A Half Cancelled surgical list leads to a Patient Safety Initiative
Posted on June 21, 2016
I started the day at 730 on ward rounds. Generally these serve as a sort of triage and recount which patients came in overnight across various surgical domains. The Clinical Officers (CO) run the show as they do most of healthcare in Malawi. I will write about the Malawi healthcare system st
Day 1 at Dignitas...and an unfamiliar surgery clinic
Posted on June 20, 2016
Monday June 20/16
I looked at this picture that I took shortly after I arrived yesterday. From the sky one realizes that the view can be from anywhere in the world. A tilt of the head downwards of course brings ones current reality back into focus. If we can all be under one roof
Greetings From Malawi "The Warm Heart of Africa"
Posted on June 19, 2016
Nearly twenty four hours after getting on a plane in Toronto I am settling down in Zomba, Malawi in the southeastern part of Africa.
I have come to Malawi with two major objectives in mind. As a member of the board of Dignitas International I hope to see the great work that is done on the ground fi