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

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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

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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

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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