The “Hot Cot” station at Nkhoma Private Hospital
We are busy making sure that the equipment at Kabudula Community Hospital is ready for our MediServ Trip.
Last year, operating theatre equipment was donated to the hospital from another partner, but has not yet been installed because, at the time of donation, Kabudula was struggling with a consistent water supply. We are working closely with this partner and the government to make sure that it is installed in time for use during our trip and after.
We are also working to provide the neonatal department at Kabudula with new equipment that they will become comfortable using in conjunction with our visiting neonatologist. We call these “hot cots” and they are wooden boxes with a series of light bulbs that produce heat from below to keep premature babies warm and prevent hypothermia. Although people often assume that Malawi is always warm, we are entering our cold season and it can get fairly chilly at night.
Factory made equipment can be expensive to procure, install and maintain. We found out about these incubators, made from local materials, from Nkhoma Private Hospital which uses them regularly. Nkhoma has created a top of the line neonatal department in just 5 years. They are guiding us on this project. Our goal is to have one incubator made for Kabudula Hospital before our trip.
Kabudula Community Hospital is ready to handle surgical cases on their own, they have the necessary resources when it comes to equipment. However, the remaining gap is staff training and experience, which is something we will provide during our trip!