Our Healthcare team is dedicated to improving the overall well-being of people. As part of this effort, this week we are conducting a nutritional assessment to all children aged from 6 months to 59 months and pregnant and lactating mothers in our catchment area. In this week’s blog post, we will explore the importance of this initiative and how it will benefit our community.
Malaria in Rural Malawi: Beatrice’s Story
the necessity of mobile medicine
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Imagine the sickest you’ve ever been. You have a fever. You can’t stop shivering. Standing up makes you dizzy and nauseous. Your head is pounding, your muscles are aching, and your skin is pale. You need to see a doctor. Then imagine you don’t have a car. No public transportation. Not even a bike. The closest healthcare facility is two hours away by foot. Even if you can muster the energy for the trek, you can’t guarantee that the clinic will have the medicine you need. What do you do?
This is a real scenario for many people in rural Malawi, including Beatrice Chazuka.
In January, Orant’s Mobile Outreach Clinic arrived at Nkhanga, a rural village. Typically, patients line up to receive services one at a time. But one patient was too sick to stand, opting instead to lie on a cloth while waiting for treatment.
“Children are fond of lying down, but it’s rare to find an adult lying down,” says lead clinician George Matapandeu. “It means she was overcome with the sickness.”
Beatrice had been sick for 7 days prior to the Mobile Clinic’s arrival. Orant was her only hope.
A clinician pricked Beatrice’s finger to test for malaria. Sure enough, the test was positive.
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite and spread by mosquitoes. It is all too common in Malawi. In 2020, Orant treated 14,453 cases. Thus far in 2021, 5,665. If left untreated, malaria can result in a slew of medical problems. Just to name a few: anemia, mental confusion, jaundice, seizures, comas. In the worst case scenarios, malaria can lead to death.
Beatrice’s case was extreme. Orant’s clinicians prescribed antimalarial drugs. Pharmacists filled Beatrice’s prescription on site, giving her explicit directions on dose and frequency.
In May, George was happy to see Beatrice again. She was looking well and healthy, visiting the clinic to care for her sick child. She expressed gratitude for Orant’s support.
“Our staff is committed to help the community in hard to reach areas,” George says.
Orant’s clinics pride themselves in maintaining stock of quality medicine all year long. The Mobile Clinic travels to remote villages to treat patients in the exact predicament as Beatrice. With Orant, people have access to medical care who otherwise wouldn’t.
The Orant Journal
Celebrating Nurses: Unsung Heroes of Healthcare
On May 12, 2024, we celebrated International Nurses Day, a special occasion aimed at celebrating and recognizing this noble profession. During the occasion, we were also thrilled to have been recognized as the Best Nurses in the Central East zone of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM)! Read today’s blog article to learn more about what this means to our team.
World Malaria Day 2024
Every year on the 25th of April, the whole world commemorates World Malaria Day, which is aimed at highlighting the need for continued effort in malaria control and prevention.
Improving Healthcare Services through Quality of Care Assessment
Last week, we were visited by the quality of care assessment team from Dowa District hospital. Read today's blog post to learn about how this exercise is important to us and the community we serve.
New Wheels from Orant’s Healthcare Program
We are always happy when our support brings a smile on peoples faces and changes their lives. In this week’s blog article, we are talking to Andrea Mwale, a 41 year old man from Chapuwala village in Kasese. Andrea shares his gratitude towards the support that our Healthcare program has recently provided to him.
School Surveys Lead to Better Learning Outcomes
Data is one of the most important tools in all our programs as it helps us measure whether our programs are making an impact or when it’s time for change. For the past three weeks, our Education program has been surveying schools in our catchment area. Check out today’s blog to learn more about how this survey is going to contribute to our Education program.
Improving Healthcare Access in Rural Malawi
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new Mobile Outreach Clinic this week, which is a great stride that our Healthcare program has achieved! We have started our operations with treating Chatalala Community in Kasungu district, Traditional Authority Njombwa. Read our blog post to learn more about how the new mobile outreach clinic will serve communities better.
Malaria Season in Malawi
Summer in the Southern Hemisphere brings malaria season in Malawi, a dangerous disease that can kill those who do not receive treatment in time. Orant works to ensure that those afflicted with the disease receive the proper treatment and recover.
The Challenge of Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Malawi
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remain a huge burden to the healthcare sector in Malawi. Read our blog post to learn more about NCDs.
Conducting Mobile Outreach Clinics in Malawi
Your donations have purchased a new trailer for our Mobile Outreach Clinic! Read our latest blog as our Mobile Outreach Clinic (MOC) team shares how the new trailer will be of great help to the team’s daily operations.