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Stakeholder Relationships
The Synod of Livingstonia through its medical board, is the hospitals' proprietor and
principal stakeholder. Along with our sister hospitals in Ekwendeni and Livingstonia, we
are members of the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM), an
umbrella organization of mission hospitals which provide 45% of healthcare in Malawi. The
Government of Malawi provides the bulk of salary monies for our staff, and we are active
participants in district and regional health meetings with our government colleagues. In
2001, we hosted the District Health Officers meeting at Embangweni - the first CHAM
unit to do so in the Northern region, and indicative of our good relationship with our
government colleagues.
| The Synod is in partnership with the Presbyterian Church USA, Presbyterian
Church in Ireland, and the Church of Scotland. We receive prayer support, personnel and
funding from each of these bodies. In October 2001, a choir from Embangweni Mission
Station visited Ireland as an expression of our partnership in the gospel. Three members
of the choir are staff members at the hospital (Lillian Gondwe, Wyson Tembo and Mary
Kumwenda - see photo right) |
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Demographics
With a population nearing ten million people, 85% of whom live in rural areas, Malawi
is one of the world's poorest countries (GNP per capita = $170). Most of our patients are
subsistence farmers from very poor families. High inflation rates in 2001 together with a
poor harvest made the daily struggle for food / school fees / clothing even more difficult
for most rural Malawians.
In 2001, the National Statistical Office published data from a comprehensive
Malawi-wide household survey conducted in 2000. Some of the key national data is
summarized in the table below.
| Indicator |
Result |
| Fertility rate (number of children a woman delivers in her lifetime) |
6.3 |
| Percentage of 15-19 year olds who are mothers or now pregnant |
33% |
| Percentage of married women using a modern family planning method |
26% |
| Percentage of births assisted by a trained midwife |
56% |
| Maternal mortality ratio (number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live
births) |
1120 |
| Percentage of children under 2 who are fully immunised |
78% |
Percentage of under 5's sleeping under a mosquito net
(malaria is the leading cause of death in children in Malawi) |
8% |
| Percentage of under 5's who are stunted (growing sub-normally because of
poor nutrition) |
49% |
| Under 5 mortality rate (number of children per 1000 live births who die by
age 5) |
189 |
| Percentage of women with primary level or no education |
57% |
| Percentage of men with primary level or no education |
39% |
| Percentage of men who believe that condoms can protect against HIV |
86% |
| Percentage of men who used a condom on last sexual encounter |
14% |
| Estimated HIV prevalence in Malawi |
15% |
Source: Demographic Health Survey 2000, National Statistical Office, Lilongwe, Malawi.
| Although some of these indicators are somewhat better than in previous
surveys, the effects of the HIV epidemic are apparent. In particular, the extremely high
maternal mortality ratio is largely attributed to HIV. Mothers are sicker, and there are
fewer surviving trained health staff to treat them. It is estimated that a child born in
Malawi today has a 50% lifetime risk of dying from AIDS.As the statistics above show, many
Malawians know how to prevent HIV, but have not translated that knowledge into effective
behaviour change. HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing health personnel in
Malawi. |
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