Overview of Hospital and Health Centre Services in 2002

The year 2002 has been another busy year. The hospital and its health centres still strive to provide quality care, though staffing levels continue to be inadequate. The hospital Quality Assurance Committee has been active. A number of surveys have been conducted and the finding used to improved service delivery. For more details see Annex 1 – Hospital and Health Centre Statistics 2002.

Summary of Services Provided (all sites) 2000-2002

Top Five Inpatient Diagnosis by Ward

Top 5 Inpatient Causes of Death by Ward

Mosquito nets protect postnatal women from malaria in maternity ward.

Ward by Ward Admissions / Mortality

Mharaunda, our 4th health centre became operational towards the end of October. Though challenging at a time when there are financial and human resources constraints, we pray that God will provide. The overriding principle has been to offer a service in the area so that easy access to health services is enhanced thereby reducing morbidity and mortality especially amongst under-5 children and pregnant women. Our X-ray Machine has continued to be a problem with frequent breakdowns. We hope to get assistance from our partners to enable the hospital buy a new x-ray machine.

S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS OF HOSPITAL

A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps the organization to focus on key issues. Below is an abbreviation of the S.W.O.T. analysis the hospital carried out.

Strengths:

Our hospital is well known for its provision of quality medical care. During the year the hospital has strived to attract more members of staff especially nursing staff. The nursing staffing levels have indeed been better this year than in recent years. The coming of a young Medical Doctor (Dr. Dumisani G. Kamwana) will further strengthen the clinical department of the hospital.

Weaknesses:

A high nurse turnover has continued to affect nursing services at the institution. Due to inadequate funds some planned activities especially in the Primary Health Care department have not been undertaken. Although we have continued to receive support from our partners for which we are very thankful, we are conscious that we have not made any real progress in becoming less donor dependent. The hospital has been discussing possibilities of embarking on income generating activities, however, the poor prevailing economic situation makes such ventures risky.

Opportunities:

The hospital continues to excel in its various endeavors because of committed staff and a supportive working environment. These factors offer opportunities for expansion of hospital services especially in Primary Health Care department. The hospital with financial, material and human resources available would go a long way in strengthening community-based interventions.

Threats:

Financial position of the hospital has not been well during the year. Although the government pays salaries through the Christian Health Association of Malawi, they do not pay many of the benefits or pay for several cadre of staff. Additionally while staff are committed to working in an indigenous Christian institution, the rising costs of food and school fees combined with more lucrative offers from external non-profit organizations for highly skilled staff, often requires the hospital to pay top-ups to retain staff. The hospital therefore struggles to meet the salary requirements. There is a real need for the hospital to explore other means of sustaining the running of their institutions through income generating activities and other donors especially for community based activities.

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