Health Desk Conducts Health Facility Quarterly Review Meetings for TB Project
By Tulipoka Angellah Chimombo
Through the “Investing for impact against TB/HIV’’ project, the Health Desk of the Diocese of Karonga held health facility quarterly review meetings in a number of facilities from 15 to 23 June, 2018.
The aim of these meeting was to review progress of community TB activities in the revamped and established community sputum collection points (CSCP) in Chitipa and Karonga districts. The review meetings took place at the following health facilities: Wenya, Kameme, Kapenda, Misuku and Kapoka in Chitipa; Iponga, Kasoba, Kaporo, Atupere and Nthora in Karonga.
Specifically, the review focused on progress of activities of volunteers and health workers in target health facilities including successes and challenges faced during the first and second quarters.
A representative of volunteers from each CSCP presented a report highlighting number of households visited, presumptive cases found, and number of sputum samples collected, number of positive and negative cases found and number of cases referred to the health facility.
Further to this, the team discussed at length and suggested solutions to the identified challenges faced by both volunteers and health workers. Finally the members framed an action plan stipulating roles to be taken by each stakeholder i.e. health workers and volunteers. The District TB officer, In-charge of each facility, TB focal person, Microscopist and volunteers from Community Sputum Collection Point (CSCP) attended the meetings.
The activity was a success in that all planned meetings were conducted. It is expected that the discussions and action plan drawn during these review meetings will result in identification of many TB cases and high treatment success rate in communities.
Health Desk Embarks on Second Phase of TB Project
By Vincent Shaba
The Health Desk of Karonga Diocese has embarked on Phase II of TB Project entitled “Invest for Impact against TB/HIV”. The goal of this second phase of the project is, like the first phase, to reduce TB related morbidity and mortality.
Specifically, the project has 2 objectives namely to increase TB case notification to one hundred and ninety one per one hundred thousand general population of people and to increase treatment success rate of bacteriologically confirmed TB cases to 88%.
Activities in the project include supervision of health facilities, conducting health facility and district level review meetings and supporting health facilities with fuel to collect sputum in hard to reach areas. Karonga Diocese is implementing the project in Karonga and Chitipa districts. This project will run for 3 years (January, 2018 –December, 2020).
The project has 2 components namely; biological and non-biological. The biological component is carried out by the Ministry of Health, which includes training of health workers, procurement of TB equipment, testing of sputum and provision of treatment. On the other hand, the non- biological component deals with community involvement in case finding. This project is shifting from passive to active case finding paradigm where all stakeholders are combating the TB disease.
This project, which started in May, utilises structures already established in Phase I, specifically Ministry of Health (MoH) staff i.e. Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) working in communities and at facility level and trained TB community volunteers. Volunteers have been trained in conducting health education on TB, collection of sputum, carrying of sputum to health facilities and deliver results to suspects in the communities.
For suspects found positive, Volunteers support them in taking medication and counselling during the course of treatment. These Volunteers cover the whole Chitipa District and north and central Karonga District. 720 volunteers were trained during Phase I of the project.
The project is financed by Global Fund through Actionaid and National Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. This phase covers all the districts of Malawi, hence all eight Catholic dioceses are participating in the project. Coordination of the project is done by the Health Desk and District Health Office (DHO).
Early this week, the Health Desk started health facility level review meetings in the district of Karonga. The meetings took place at Iponga, Kaporo and Kasoba and involved volunteers and health workers. During the same week, Drama groups trained by The Story Workshop in the previous phase of the project started drama shows in selected communities.
Volunteers in the community having drama shows were informed to be present during drama performance. The project will help communities to easily access health services as far as TB is concerned.
Managers of Health Institutions of Karonga Diocese Meet
By Vincent Shaba and Violet Maluwa
The Diocese of Karonga through its Health Desk coordinates quarterly management meetings with management teams of health facilities under the Diocese. Such meetings serve multiple purpose including updating each other on present functioning of facilities, sharing new developments and orienting each other in local and international arising matters.
Among a number of issues discussed in the recent meeting, management members focused on orienting new management members to management functions, procurement and finance procedures and the newly constructed Chisenga Clinic.
Additionally, management members also discussed issues raised during a recent Christian Health Association (CHAM) board meeting concerning dressing code of staff and pension scheme in health facilities under this body.
Four health facilities under the Diocese namely Kaseye Rural Hospital in Chitipa, Atupele Community Rural Hospitals in Kaporo (Karonga), Hope Clinic at Karonga Boma and St. Anne’s Health Centre in Chilumba host these meetings on rotational basis.
The Diocese recognises that Lack of capable leadership and organisational management to implement effective health programs and build strong health infrastructure leads to poor public health outcomes. It is also aware that trained health professionals in Malawi rarely have any training prior to being offered a managerial position. Health related trainings focus more on direct program implementation roles than leadership and management competencies. Most of the health service managers are promoted to managerial positions on account of clinical expertise without being prepared for their new positions.
In this regard, the Diocese, through the Health Desk organises staff specialized in different management disciplines for example clinical, human resource and finance to orient management members from health facilities under the Diocese in leadership and organisational management. Facilitators during these meetings and other forums with above expertise come from the Curia office of the Diocese as well as government health facilities.
Strengthening of management teams is addressed through a number of interventions namely building capacity of management members through in-service training in general administration, upgrading of finance and procurement procedures and monitoring and supervision.
Additionally, the health Desk is working with health facilities in adoption of the Human Resources (HR) and Finance Manual released by a regulatory body of Christian Health Facilities (CHAM). These meeting are conducted in line with Karonga Diocese strategic plan (2016-2020) aimed at strengthening coordination of health management teams.
Speaking during an interview the Health Desk Officer, Vincent Shaba, said that these meetings are very helpful management members of facilities multiple issues including management and financial issues that affect health facilities. “We thought it wise that we should restructure our management so that facilities should have more effective management teams and also promote transparency and accountability.” He also added that such meetings help them to update each other on developments that are taking place at local as well as national level.
One of the Health facility Managers, Sr. Clementine said the meeting will help them know how to run their hospitals effectively, in terms of dressing cold discipline how to run finance without.
Kaseye Hospital Now Has an Operating Theatre
By Vincent Shaba
Kaseye Rural Community Hospital is situated at Chinunkha at the foot of Misuku Hills, 10 kilometres off Chitipa Road. The facility is in Traditional Authority Mwaulambia and has a catchment area of 28 villages with a Population of about 12123.
Sisters of Holy Rosary congregation took over from the Missionaries of Immaculate Conception (MIC Sisters) and are currently running the institution on behalf of the Diocese of Karonga.
Among other services provided by the facility is maternal and new born (MNC: prenatal, natal, post natal and new born. The facility has an average of 60 mothers attending antenatal clinic and 40 deliveries in a month. Opened in 1943, the facility lacks an operating theatre.
Due to lack of this essential services, an average 5 mothers are referred to Chitipa District hospital every month which is close to 30 kilometers away. Reasons for referring pregnant mothers include delayed labour, premature rupture of membranes and fetal distress among others.
Challenges in transport means, due to poor road infrastructure mostly during rainy season, endangers pregnant mothers and the unborn babies to complications such as uterine rupture, pre and post-partum hemorrhage and fetal deaths.
Thanks to Change and Be Changed organisation under the leadership of Thomas and Elisabeth Hangartner with the support of Interplast Team for the renovation of an old building into a Theatre.
This will allow mothers to be assisted promptly in case of surgical decision by Clinician at the facility. The Interplast team from Germany has been assisting people in Karonga Diocese since 2016 with orthopedic and plastic. Patients with goiter have been operated by different teams from this organisation that come 3-4 times in a years.
Bravo, Dr. Michael Shidelko, the President of Interplast team for your support to people of Malawi. Furthermore, Interplast donated an electricity generator set which will provide power back up in case of electricity black out from the main grid by ESCOM.
Among other developments, Change and Be Changed organisation donated computers to be used for records in Pharmacy department of Kaseye and St Anne’s health facilities.
Additionally the organisation has renovated another building at the facility, named “House of Acceptance” which is one of the modern unit for HIV/AIDS treatment. It was is officially opened by the District Health Officer of Chitipa District, Dr Ted Bandawe.
Medical Missionaries Donate Assorted Pieces of Medical Equipment to Karonga Diocese
By Vincent Shaba
The Diocese of Karonga recently received a timely donation of assorted medical equipment from a US based Catholic Charity Medical Missionaries.
A container carrying the medical equipment arrived in the country in March this year. Among the many pieces of medical equipment were oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, and bed pans. In addition the container carried single use materials like syringes, gloves and catheters of various sizes.
The Medical Missionaries donated the items at the request of the Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of the Diocese of Karonga when he visited United States of America last year. The shipping cost was paid for by the Mathile Family Foundation, who also paid for the construction of St Mary’s Girls Secondary School.
These items have been distributed among Catholic health institutions in the Dioceses of Karonga and Mzuzu. Among the beneficiary health facilities in Karonga Diocese are Kaseye, St. Anne’s, Chisenga, Atupele and Hope Clinic.
Most of these facilities are situated in remote area where people in catchment area have low household income hence services are at times rendered on credit or for free due as most people cannot afford the services.
Thus donation has come at the right time as these facilities have a huge demand of such equipment.
INTERPLAST Team in Second 2018 Visit to Karonga Diocese
By Vincent Shaba
The second INTERPLAST Team (Orthopedic Surgical Specialists) arrived on the 24th of February from Germany to assist people with plastic and surgical ailments. This team comprises of 5 people including Doctors, Nurses, Anesthetists and assistants. The Specialists deal with conditions including fractures, cleft lips and palates, malformation of hands/legs, extensive burn scars and bone and soft tissue tumours. Additionally, this team has a specialist in goiter operations.
The team was happy on arrival and looking forward to work with the local team of Chitipa District Hospital. The relationship between Interplast and local practitioners has been good.
The last team that visited Malawi last January had successful surgical operations. They assisted 82 patients within a period of 2 weeks. Another team is expected to arrive in the country in April and will operate from Karonga.
Thanks to the Interplast organisation for this great work.
Interplast Specialists Arrive in Malawi to Conduct Free Surgery
By Vincent Shaba (Health Desk Officer)
Interplast, a team of German specialist doctors, arrived in Malawi on 13th January, 2018 to provide free surgery to people with different conditions including facial malformation. Dr. Shidelko, the team leader, and his team will start assisting patients on the Monday, 15 January, at Chitipa District Hospital.
In this first visit of the year, the specialists will assist people with a number of conditions including facial malformations, cleft lips and palates, malformation of hands, extensive burn scars, tumours located on head and skin, disabilities due to accidents, wound or other diseases which require the skills of plastic surgery.
All patients with related conditions are advised to go to nearest health facilities to be assessed and referred to Chitipa District Hospital when necessary. At Chitipa District Hospital, assessment of patients is done jointly by Interplast Team and Malawian clinicians. The joint assessment serves a twofold purpose for local clinicians; they help in language translation and it is also a learning experience for them.
A second team from Interplast that operates on goiters will arrive at Chitipa district Hospital on the 23rd of February, 2018. They will spend two weeks.
The team members started visiting Malawi, and specifically Karonga Diocese, in February, 2016 upon the request from his Lordship, Bishop M. Mtumbuka during one of his visits to Germany.
Since the initial team’s visit, there have been more than eight teams coming to Karonga Diocese at different times of the year and have since assisted more than a hundred patients.
Generally, the teams appreciate the friendliness of people in Malawi and are geared to assist those with orthopedic problems. However, they also observe a couple of challenges practicing orthopedic in Malawi including inadequate human and material resources from the previous visits.
Interplast, is an association of Orthopedic Surgical Specialist from Germany that provides plastic surgery free of charge to people in developing countries. The objective of Interplast is to integrate people with malformation back into the society.
Health Desk of Karonga Diocese Improves Access to Medical Care for People Suffering from TB in Karonga and Chitipa
By Deodatus Muriya (Monitoring and Evaluation Desk Officer)
The Health Desk of Karonga has improved access to medical care for people suffering from chronic cough through the work of volunteers who encourage people to within their catchment area to get diagnosed for Tuberculosis (TB), start treatment immediately if found TB positive and following up patients on treatment.
This was disclosed at the biannual review of TB Project organized by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi Health Desk. The Karonga Diocese Health Desk Officer, Mr. Vincent Shaba said through TB project, communities have been assisted to be aware of TB infection and also reduce stigma.
“The project has helped to clear out misconceptions. For instance, people in the community believe that if have TB, then you are automatically HIV positive. They also believe that HIV can be tested in sputum hence fear to submit sputum.” Said Mr. Shaba.
According to Gilbert Banda, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for ECM, the aim of the biannual review meeting is to assess the financial and programmatic progress of the project. He further said that this biannual review has given implementing agencies an opportunity to review the overall grant performance being the final month on the current project.
The Review meeting, which was held at Red Zebra in Salima from 18th to 21st December, 2017, gave an opportunity to implementing partners to share experiences, challenges encountered ways of mitigating them, lessons learned and best ways for improving the implementation of the project activities.
The Episcopal conference of Malawi (ECM) Health Department is implementing a TB Project in Karonga and Mzuzu Dioceses and Lilongwe Archdiocese with funding from Action Aid. The project is being implemented in Karonga, Chitipa, Likoma, Mzimba, Nkhatabay, Rumphi, Ntchisi, Dowa, Kasungu and Lilongwe Districts with the National Office coordinating.