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MAY, 2015 Issue 1; Volume 2
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In 1915, Malamulo Mission opened its first clinic, which later became Malamulo Adventist Hospital. Now
100 years later, the Adventist Health International (AHI) facility provides quality health care to Malawi’s
under-served rural population. With a hospital bed capacity of over 200, the hospital provides
preventive health care services and specialized health services in women’s and child health, infectious
disease, chronic disease, general surgery and much more.
Malamulo Adventist Hospital, is an accredited teaching hospital. The Loma Linda University Field
Station, located on campus is a clinical rotation site. The next generation of African specialists through
our Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) residency program are also trained here.
Malamulo Adventist Hospital is able to reach a wide range of people serving a catchment area of over
129,000 people through outreach health services in its 16 mobile clinics, as well as 3 health centers.
In 2016 we plan to begin building a new Health Center in the southern Blantyre area of Limbe to provide
additional Christ centered services in the region. This will also serve as a vital support to the hospital’s
programs. Should you not be able to attend the event and would still wish to be part of the festivities:
please consider donating to this cause.
In This Issue
100 Year Anniversary 1
Dr. Blanchard 2
Working Together 2
Annex Fundraiser 3
Bicycle Ambulance 4
Employee Highlight 4
2nd White Coat Cerem.. 5
Family Ties 6
Contact info 6
1st Quarter 2015
Malamulo Hospital 100th
Year Anniversary
Water Fountain in front of Malamulo Hospital. Words read are “Madzi Ndi Moyo” which is an African proverb meaning “water of life”
Photo Credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
MAY, 2015 Issue 1; Volume 2
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2015 will truly be a year to remember for Malamulo Adventist Hospital as it celebrates its Centennial.
To commemorate this historic occasion Malamulo will host a vibrant celebration filled with an array of
festivities, performances and recognition honoring national and international missionaries who have
played a vital role in reaching this monumental milestone as a mission institute.
Malamulo Adventist Hospital would like to cordially you invite you to attend its 100 Year Anniversary
starting at 10:00am on 8 September, 2015 on the grounds of Malamulo Adventist Hospital, Thyolo,
Makwasa, Malawi. Please plan to join us.
Further details of the event will be given out soon. For more information, feel free to contact Special
Project Manager, Temidayo Ogunrinu at temidayo@malamulohospital.org or call +265 (0) 888 446 466
Dr. Blanchard Written by Jason
Blanchard, CEO of Malamulo
Hospital
As administrator, I have the
blessing of almost total access
at Malamulo Adventist Hospital.
I am able to travel freely
through the wards. I am even
allowed to observe now and
then as long as I do not touch
any of the shiny charts or play
with the doctor’s stethoscopes.
When first arriving I was often
hailed by the locals as “Doctor”.
Although at first I took the time
to explain to everyone that I
was just the lowly
administrator, I soon gave up
as this was taking too much of
my day. Besides, no sooner had
I politely explained this then
they would say, “Yes doctor”.
I do, however get some
pleasure in this interaction
when a “Real” physician is
within earshot. The looks of
irritation, frustration and often,
pure malice mixed with
clenched fists and popping
arteries is almost universal. I
am assuming that this is due to
flashbacks of the 12 years of
specialty training and sleepless
nights gone through to be
hailed “Doctor” while I only
took 7 years to get my 4 year
BA degree in communications
and never missed a night of
sleep. NEVER.
The irony is that although I may
be sometimes mistaken for one
of our amazing physicians, I am
not a physician. When I see
someone with a condition
needing medical attention my
heart goes out. I want to help.
I want to cure. I want to be “Dr.
Blanchard”. But, I’m not.
I recently had the opportunity
to visit with several of our
patients: An older man with an
inter cranial bleed; a tube
through his scull attached to a
suction bubble to relieve the
pressure, a leg amputee, two
near suicides, several women
with cervical cancer who had
just had hysterectomies and a
young man with TB and HIV.
Each patient I spoke with
expressed thankfulness for the
wonderful care given by our
medical personnel. They were
thankful for our physician’s
prayers by their bedside and
before an operation. I have
realized that being a missionary
doctor is one of the toughest
jobs one could have. A career
choice where cross training
abilities is a must and personal
time almost nonexistent. Yet,
these doctors never forget
prayer and never loose site of
why they do it!
Malamulo Hospital has some of
the finest Adventist physicians.
This has been true for 100
years at this blessed place.
Their counterparts are
scattered through the
developing world serving as
Mission Doctors fighting tropical
disease, malnutrition, HIV, TB,
diabetes and yes, Ebola! For
this commitment they are
under paid, under staffed,
underappreciated and under
the leadership of guys like me…
If you are looking for heroes
look no further then medical
missionaries: past and present.
They were and are giving all for
“The Least of These”.
No, I am not a doctor. But, I
serve with some pretty good
ones.
Working Together
Written by Dr. Stephanie
Maroney a Loma Linda Medical Center Surgery Resident, who
carried out a 2 month rotation at Malamulo Hospital.
A patient came to Malamulo in
bad shape. She was seen by the
clinical officers who quickly
recognized how sick she was
and called the Surgeons. Upon
MAY, 2015 Issue 1; Volume 2
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seeing her, Dr Aimable
immediately came to the
operating room to tell
Dr.Hayton and me, that she
was in the middle of a “thyroid
storm”, an extremely
dangerous and potentially fatal
condition where you have too
much thyroid hormone. Her
heart was racing, she was
sweating, blood pressure was
elevated and on top of that, her
thyroid was swollen in her neck,
around her windpipe making it
hard for her to breathe. We
immediately placed her in the
ICU, ordered laboratory tests,
X-rays, and started her on
medications to try to stabilize her condition.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have
the critical medication that she
needed, so Dr.Hayton went to
town (Blantyre, which is one of
the nearest big cities) and
spent 4 hours, visiting 14
different pharmacies to find the appropriate medication.
Nurses monitored her closely
around the clock. After a week,
the swelling in her neck had
started to subside and she was
stable enough to go to the
operating room to remove her
thyroid. Our anesthesia team
expertly placed in the breathing
tube, which was incredibly
difficult given how big her
thyroid was, and the theatre
staff assisted as we took out
her thyroid. After surgery, she
woke up for the first time in 11
years without a huge mass
around her neck, without her
heart racing, and able to breathe.
Over the next few days, she did
very well and was able to go
home, incredibly grateful for
the care she received here at
Malamulo. She just came to
clinic this past week and is doing great!
This patient is a perfect
example of how working
together as a team, we were
able to save a life, even despite
the challenges we face here.
Every member of the hospital
staff was integral in her care;
from recognizing her illness
right when she first got here, to
the nursing care she received,
going the extra mile to search
far and wide for medications,
the lab for their prompt tests, x
ray for getting her chest and
neck x rays right away, and all
the other team members
involved in her care. This
wouldn’t have been possible
without each and every one of
them!”
Annex Fundraiser
Malamulo Hospital partially
sustains itself in providing
quality, low cost health care for
its community through our
private in-patient and out-
patient departments. Malamulo
in part, is able to give amazing
care to the rural lower social
economic status community of
Malawi by running clinics,
private pay, and insurance
programs through its private
hospital ward called the Annex.
The Annex Ward is comprised
of 25 beds, with several
spacious self-contained rooms.
Since its construction, the
Annex has elevated the name
of Malamulo Hospital providing
excellent care to patients who
are financially blessed.
However, Malamulo recognizes
the need for a complete Annex
face-lift, to increase the quality
or our services and for the
comfort of our patients who stay there.
In April, we held a small
fundraiser inviting fellow
supporters throughout the
community. During this event
we were able to get pledges of
support of approximately
$55,000 as well as a donation
of building materials. Our goal
is to raise $100,000 by the end
of the year in order to
completely revamp our Annex.
Won’t you help?
Patient with an evident thyroid condition.
Photo credit: Ryan Hayton
Patient after thyroidectomy
Photo credit: Ryan Hayton
Dr. Niyubahwe, Dr. Maroney, Dr. Kamwendo, Dr. Fekadu (L-R) Operating on the thyroid patient
Photo credit: Ryan Hayton
Annex Ward Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
MAY, 2015 Issue 1; Volume 2
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Bicycle Ambulance An Innovated Solution to Increase Access to Health
Care Written By Temidayo Ogunrinu
A few months back, I received
news that the son of a woman I
knew passed away. I was
disheartened but when I heard
the reason why, it left me
unsettled.
“John is a sweet young boy that
for years suffered from a
physical disability which left
him incapable of walking, and
eating on his own. One evening,
John began having an asthma
attack. He often suffered from
them amongst other health
problems that overwhelmed his
life. This particular asthma
attack was so severe that he
needed to be taken to the hospital.
Unfortunately, due to his
inability to walk his mother
would need to carry him.
However, his mother did not
have the strength to carry his
weight load for such a long
distance. So, she called for her
brother who worked at a nearby
hospital, but his phone was out
of reach. She called for friends
and family to help, but by the
time they figured out a solution his health had already declined.
Before she knew it her son was
unresponsive. There in her
home, in her hands, her son
passed away. Whether or not it
was an asthma attack or
another ailment that induced
his death, we know that her
inability to get to a health care
facility on time, propagated his
demise.”
This story is like many others,
who either come to the hospital
too late or never even make it
at all due of lack of transport
and distance. These barriers
have been proven to increase
all cause morbidity and mortality all around the world.
Over the past years many
innovative solutions have been
created to increase access to
health care facilities. One of
these solutions are bicycle
ambulances. The bicycle
ambulance serves as
transportation for anyone in
need of medical attention at a
health facility. The bicycle is
equipped with a stretcher on
the back which is pulled by the
bicycle in the front.
On Tuesday April 14th 2015,
Malamulo Hospital and the
community it serves was
abundantly blessed by ADRA-
Malawi who donated 15 bicycle
ambulances. On that blessed
day a ceremony was held to
recognize our donors and
distribute the bicycles to the village heads.
The Traditional Authority of
Khwethemule Village, and the
Honorable Mary Navicha Thomu,
Thyolo District Member of
Parliament were there to
motivate the community to
utilize the bicycles for their given purpose.
Members of the community
expressed their sincere
gratefulness and rode off to
their respective villages on their new bicycle ambulances.
I am still heartbroken about the
woman who lost her child, but
the feeling of unsettlement has
reduced, because I believe that
with the proper use of the
bicycle ambulances we will hear less and less stories like John.
Employee Highlight
Mr. Billy Chaoneka
Fixing of roofs, building of
cabinets, tuning up of vehicles
and tightening pipes are just a
few of the daily tasks Mr. Billy
Chaoneka oversees. Here at
Malamulo we are always under
construction in one way or the
other, and if it wasn’t for Billy,
our day to day maintenances
that are so vital to our hospitals
work would not be achieved.
Apart from overseeing
maintenance, He also oversees
transport services.
ADRA Representative shaking Mr. Matipwiri’s Hand
Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Test Driving the Bicycle Ambulance Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Bicycle Ambulances Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Mr. Chaoneka, Head of Maintenance and Transport Services
Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
MAY, 2015 Issue 1; Volume 2
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Mr. Chaoneka can be described
as a friendly, helpful and quiet
natured man.
Mr. Mandindi, one of
Malamulo’s electrician says, “I have worked for Mr.
Chaoneka for 6 years and I like working for him, he knows how to encourage
people to work hard”.
Malamulo is blessed to have
Billy on the team for many
reasons. First, it says a lot
about a man, who not only
works hard but knows how to
motivate others to do their best.
Second, is his ability to
persevere and third, his great
love for God and serving in His
institution. For these same
reasons Malamulo is happy to
have him at our institution for over 40 years.
Mr. Chaoneka first started
working at Malamulo in 1976.
He was a driver and over the
years he has worked his way up
the ladder of success and is
head of maintenance and
transport services. Mr.
Chaoneka believes that one of
the most rewarding aspects of
his job is being able to work
with other men of God who
have the same integrity as him.
Though, he works with limited
financial and human resources
he finds a way to get the job done. Which is highly admirable.
In 2016 Mr. Chaoneka will be
retiring. This is bitter sweet for
him, because he loves
Malamulo so much. But he is
excited that he gets to focus on
the next chapter of his life
which involves motivating
young children to work hard and do their best.
Currently, Billy takes care of 6
orphaned children. Once retired
he will take on 30. He is in the
process of building a house that
would accommodate some of
them, and hopes to build a
bigger one in the future. He has
been aided financially by a
personal donation.
His main goal for his orphanage
is to support young boys and
girls academic pursuits, and to
give them the much needed
moral and financial support that
is needed to successfully
accomplish their goals. Billy
realizes that though his work at
the hospital will be done soon, his work for God still continues.
Malamulo Hospital, wishes Mr.
Chaoneka a blessed rest of the
year, and blessing in all his new
endeavors!
Malamulo Hospital 2nd White Coat
Ceremony
Dr. Niyubahwe knew he wanted
to be surgeon since he was a
child. Perhaps that passion
stemmed from his father who is
also a medical doctor in his
home country, Burundi. Or
perhaps the passion comes
from the feeling he gets when
he is able to fix a problem for a
person who desperately needs
a solution. Maybe, it’s the smile
on the patients face after
operation when they have
healed and recovered from a
life threatening condition, or
maybe it’s a culmination of all
these things which has instilled
in him the passion,
perseverance and boldness to
join the PAACS surgical
residency program and become
a competent, compassionate surgeon.
When Dr. Niyubahwe arrived in
Malawi to start his residency he
knew it was going to be a very
demanding task. But he was
left in awe of God and his Wife
who helped prepare him for the
next five years of his life. He
knew that with them it would
make the transition to Malawi easier.
In March, Malamulo held its
second white coat ceremony to
dedicate Dr. Niyubahwe who
traveled all the way from
Burundi with his wife France
and 2 sons Frank and Francis.
Like the previous white coat
ceremony this one also focused
on the sanctity of the
profession and being a servant
to others. At the end of the
ceremony, Dr. Niyubahwe
stood with his family teary eyed
expressing how touched he was.
He said, “It is a deep sign of
humbleness to have our
consultants wash my feet. It
brought so much emotions in
me. At that moment I learned
that I should treat my patients
with the same love.”
Aimable Niyubahwe, France, Francis, and Frank (T-B)
Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
The White Coats presented to the residents Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Malamulo Employees Anointing Dr. Niyubahwe with Prayers
Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
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Over the next five years Dr.
Niyubahwe hopes to complete
his residency then work in any
mission hospital that needs him.
As he embarks on this new
journey he keeps his life motto
close to his heart, “Always do
your best to succeed, and do
and accept everything with humility.”
Family Ties
Here at Malamulo Mission,
family is everything. Whether
coming from abroad, or raised
in Malawi, being on the mission
often times means being far
away from home. So when the
opportunity comes to have
family members visit we not
only seize it, we make the most of it.
This April, Robert and Virginia
Crounse came to visit their son
Dr. Jamie Crounse and his
family. Jamie is Malamulo
Hospital’s Medical Director. He
is also the husband to lovely
Shallena, and the father to two
beautiful children, Jedidiah and
Abigail. Having his parents
around was not only a joy for
him and his family but for all of Malamulo.
For those of us on the mission,
if you were to listen very closely
you could hear Jamie on several
occasions singing and humming
melodiously down the hospital
hallways. Are these sounds of a
man happy to have his Mother and father with him? I think so!
While here, Virginia was able to
visit the pediatric and maternity
wards, where she gave
donations of clothes and other
items from her friends and
family in the US to new moms
and children. The recipients
were grateful.
Jamie says “It was so nice to
have my parents here to
remind me of what a privilege it
is to be the son of two truly
generous people”.
Robert and Virginia returned
back to the US after a beautiful
three weeks spent with family
and making new friends on the
mission. We are thankful for the
time they spent here and hope they come back to visit again.
Dr. Hayton, Dr. Niyubahwe, Dr. Fekadu (L-R) Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Robert, Jedidiah, Abigail, Jamie, Shallena and Virginia Crounse (L-R)
Photo credit: Eric Banda
A new mother, her baby and Virginia Crounse (L-R) Photo credit: Shallena Crounse
This Newsletter is provided to keep you updated on the most recent developments and activities at
Malamulo Hospital.
Malamulo Hospital is a Seventh Day Adventist Institution
Our vision is to be the preferred
provider for specialized healthcare and training in Malawi and beyond.
Our mission is to provide competent
healthcare and training through skilled staff members, prioritizing the health of our patients with a special
emphasis on spiritual care.
Contact Us
Website:
www.malamulohospital.org
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/groups/mymala
mulo
https://www.facebook.com/Malamul
o.Hospital?ref=ts&fref=ts
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief:
Temidayo@malamulohospital.org
Partner with Us: If you would like to
partner with us by giving a donation
we request you do so by making you
contribution through Adventist
Health International
http://www.ahiglobal.org/main/main/
Dr. Hayton, Dr. Niyubahwe, Dr. Fekadu (L-R) Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu
Dr. Fekadu washing Dr. Niyubahwe’s feet Photo credit: Temidayo Ogunrinu