WHO WE HELPED
Inter Care’s One Wish funding helped St. Anne’s Community Hospital, of Chilumba in the Karonga Diocese of Northern Malawi, to acquire a brand-new dental chair.
WHAT WAS NEEDED
Back in 2022/23, St. Anne’s Hospital asked Inter Care for a dental compressor, a request which was granted via our One Wish project. Despite this addition, the hospital’s dental suite was not complete because their dental chair was old and broken. After a considerable investigation, Inter Care were not able to locate a refurbished dental chair from the UK; also, the transportation costs of such a heavy item were very expensive.
By keeping in regular contact, Inter Care learned more about the hospital’s situation: ‘In this area, we have so many patients suffering from tooth decay and other conditions of teeth. Hence, they move a very long distance—up to 70 kilometers—to reach the district hospital for treatment. So, we see [a dental chair] being needed at our facility so that we can help them reduce transport costs and other resources since our [dental] service will be near them.’
Staff at St Anne’s Hospital in Malawi (2024)
WHAT HAPPENED
In 2023/24, Inter Care used our annual budget allocation for St. Anne’s Community Hospital, to enable them to make a deposit on a brand-new dental chair.
Inter Care typically supplement with medicines and healthcare goods; however, in this case, we took a more flexible approach to supporting our partner: we helped with funds which enabled the hospital to obtain a desperately needed item of equipment; the hospital quickly received their new dental chair from Action Medeor-Malawi through a hire purchase arrangement.
OUTCOMES
Inter Care’s One Wish support has made a significant difference/impact to the patients and the staff:
- For dental patients, there is a reduction in distance to seek dental services, hence a reduction on costs.
- For the hospital staff, from the new dental care practice, they are increasing their knowledge and skills.
THANK YOU INTER CARE
Sr Rita Matanje, Hospital In-Charge said ’Since we have just received the dental chair last month, so far we have treated four patients, but we hope to treat more once the whole community knows that we have started offering this service at our hospital.’
‘God should bless the people who can think of helping the poor. ‘zikomo kwambiri anthu a mulungu mwatipulumusa (thanks to the people of God you have saved us).
Help us give facilities more of what they need
By donating to Inter Care, parcels of medical aid can be sent to partners across sub-Saharan Africa. Our mission is to fulfill every request, and we need your help to do it.
