Mwanhala Clinic & Dispensary

With help from the local community and especially from our colleagues at
Friends of Nzega (FON) construction of this much needed accommodation was completed just after Easter. It means that a nurse is always available so is particularly beneficial for night time maternity deliveries. It was opened by our good friend Hon Godfrey Ngupula the District Commissioner. The resident nurse is Pius Mahela.

The clinic has some rainwater harvesting provision but it is insufficient for their needs.

Mwanhala FDC is about 1km away. Thanks to its borehole and pump the College is now able to deliver water daily to meet all the clinics needs.

The rainwater plastic SIM tank will be used to store the water delivered by the College vehicle.

The most pressing need now is to have on-site accommodation for medical staff. FUM hopes to provide this in 2018 with help from our colleagues at Friends of Nzega (FON).

We visited in November 2016 to find the same Medical Officer in charge and he was pleased to greet us. The dispensary and clinic looked in good order, but the medical officer is keen to get more rooms, to give his patients more privacy and to have more rooms for health talks and vaccinations. We suggested the students from the local FDC could help by building a dividing wall in the large room in the clinic and we await news on this issue.

A major problem for the clinic is that the nurse and midwives have no house in Mwanhala. They have to travel by bus from Nzega every day so there is little help for the medical officer with night time delivery of babies. FUM is looking to work with the village and the District to see if funds can be raised to allow this problem to be overcome.

Richard Pratt and Jo Taylor
FUM chairman and Medical Liaison Officer

There is a clinical officer, Mr Maguta, 2 nurse attendants (lovely ladies!) and 3 outreach workers. They see about half the pregnant mums in the village – some just don’t look for help and some go to Nzega. The clinic will soon be offering CTC support for people living with HIV.

Three strong new bikes for outreach work were purchased using funds sent previously that had got 'stuck' in the village account but were magically released !

Problems they see are:
Not enough space – no privacy for outpatients. No permanent water source – they use the local well, 2 km away. Transport problems – some mums deliver “on the way” to the clinic. The planned 'ambulance' will help here.

Positives: they save lives!

Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer

There is a good vaccination programme, and parents are given advice on HIV/AIDS. Some medication is kept in the Dispensary and more in the gas powered fridge. The clinic deals with an average of 7 births per week, and most clinics see 30 – 35 mothers each day.

There is no incinerator for disposing of placentas so a new pit has been dug by the village, and Cranbrook School financed the making of a secure concrete cover for the pit.

The clinic has no rain water harvesting, but plans to increase the piped water from the FDC to the village are in hand. Tests on the water supply from the deep well show that there is a good supply and the quality is good.

The school also purchased a much needed bicycle for Nurse Charles to help him with his Outreach Work.

The buildings are in good order, well decorated and now they are using the new mattresses supplied by FUM recently. There was no sign of the mosquito nets, but the staff were instructed to find these in their store and to use them from now on.

This clinic was helped by a visit from two trainee doctors who were doing their Elective placement at Nzega District Hospital.

Also by two UK midwives helping and learning from the local midwives.

Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer