Can I do consultancy in other health related areas?

A few people have contacted me on my blog and asked whether I would be able to do some field work and get health related information for them that is not related to eye care .Instead of contacting them individually, here is my response.

My interest is in Community Eye Health, and I have done local and International consultancy (Mozambique and Zanzibar) and research in this area for a number of years. I have been in the eye filed for 10 years.

Prior to this I did general medicine private practice and had my own clinic in Blantyre: and prior to that I was a District Medical Officer for Chirazulu for 2years;I did operate on women during child birth (caesarean sections) and did many other general surgery and medical work. I also did a lot of health administrative work .I have a clear knowledge of the health service delivery in Malawi .I have also trained and I am certified to give anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS in Malawi.

I am also trained as a Public health specialist and have been equipped to review / evaluate any major public health interventions/research.

I do not like doing desk evaluations; I like visiting the communities and getting the facts as they are on the ground.

So if you would like to have someone get information from the grassroots community (baseline information) in Malawi ; monitor or evaluate the effect of your interventions in the community in any health related field ;my research team will be capable of doing it for you on a consultancy basis .
But we will have to agree on the time; because I can be busy and I travel a lot.

In summary, yes I can do any health related work as long as it involves the community.
I have made my point clear so I will be waiting for you to contact m if you need to get any information from Malawi.

Contact me.
What do you say?
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Defining all odds

My daughter Tapiwa was born only after my wife carried her in the tummy for only 6 months and the decision to operate on the mother was based on the fact it was important to save life of the mother; initially there was doubt as to whether the baby would survive –and I remember crying in that ward while my sick wife was trying to comfort me. She was only weighing slightly more than a loaf of bread (950grammes) when she was wheeled to that intensive care unit at Saint Mary’s in Manchester where she spent the last 3 months of her growth in the incubator. The doctors cancelled my wife and I about the poor prognosis expected for her if she survived (maybe would end up in a wheel chair in all her life) and I did understand the situation (being a doctor and having read about the problems of very very premature babies ) but never understood why. Fortunately Tapiwa did not accept all this easy; and she decided to define the odds and change the way we think. She hardly gained any weight for the 3 months she was in the incubator and was discharged home at only 2 KG.
Today Tapiwa despite being still smallish is a bubbling girl who is walking when she is in the company of people she knows, but alas she doesn’t like strangers who were busy discussing her fate.
Miracles like this happen for a reason.
Tapiwa is now 23 months old; and so far everything has been well. Any complications initially thought of have not risen.
There is a God out there who has been keeping her live and we do not know the reasons.
She now gives me more reason to help the less privileged.
Have you experienced a miracle like this?
Let me know about it.
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Are you a Malawian nurse working in the UK? Willing to be interviewed?

A team of film makers from London approached me a few months ago about their intention to try and capture the effect of nurses brain drain from Malawi to the UK by filming and conducting interviews with nurses who have migrated to the UK and also nurses in Malawi who are intending to migrate to the UK. The film would then be used for advocacy to either persuade Malawian nurses to stay in MALAWI or may be persuade the UK government to pay for the loss to Malawi Government .They though I could help them in identifying such nurses and well since I know a few nurses (some of them married to fellow doctors) in the UK I said I would introduce them to the team. Moreover with my interest in writing about health issues on Malawi; I thought it would be good and easy for me to do this. I have proved myself wrong. Despite many attempts to speak to any of these nurses they have all refused to give an interview.
Well, are you a Malawian nurse working in the UK? Or do you know Malawian nurses working in the UK?
Would you or they be willing to talk to the film makers from London?
If so I would appreciate if you contact me so that I link you up.
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Blantyre Institute for Community ophthalmology (BICO) - a dream or reality?

BICO will be formed in late 2008 with the mission of contributing to the prevention and control of blindness in Malawi through conducting practical research, teaching, training, consultancy and advocacy in eye care delivery.
The idea to start the institute was conceptualised after realising that despite nearly 10 years after the launch of the VISION2020: THE RIGHT TO SIGHT ,the global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness and the various successes/ achievements in other areas of the world;Malawi has still not made much progress especially in the area of research on practical preventative community eye care blindness programmes.
The centre aims to conduct and disseminate findings of research being done eye care professionals and other stake holders in the region and transfer the best of its expertise and experience to an ever-increasing number of eye care institutes across Southern Africa. The centre will strategically be located within the University of Malawi College of Medicine teaching eye hospital, the Lions Sight first eye hospital in Blantyre.
The planned activities of the institute contributing to eye care in Malawi and other neighbouring developing countries can be broadly classified under the following areas:
• Capacity building of community eye care health workers
• Training Programmes – focussing on community eye care delivery
• Research capacity building through conducting practical local research (operational and health services research )
• Publications
• Consultative support to countries with no expertise in community eye health
• Advocacy and contribution to Eye Care Programmes at National and International level through the Government and International NGOs.
• Fund raising for eye care service delivery
BICO as a centre within the Lions Sight Eye hospital, College of medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre will work closely with the collaborating Community Ophthalmology centres within the region (Kilimanjaro Centre for community Ophthalmology-KCCO in Tanzania) and also with International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH, London); which continues to take a leading role in developing Community eye health workers for Africa and elsewhere.
BICO is currently looking for organisations /persons who can be involved in supporting research related and eye service delivery fund raising activities.

If you know of any contacts or are interested in the idea please communicate with me.
If you have objections to this the idea also contact me stating the reasons why you do so.

Will be waiting for your comments!!!

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Mangochi revisited

I have been missing because I have been very busy moving around in Malawi. But this week I have decided to revise the blog following comments from fellow bloggers that I need to update them of activities happening in the field of eye care.
Last week I was in Mangochi District hospital where with my hospital team we operated on 75 blind people .A bigger success of this eye camp was partly due to the publicity done by “Radio Maria” a Christian broadcasting radio station that is based in Mangochi but broadcasts all over Malawi. They kindly agreed to freely advertise on their radio that my team was coming to Mangochi to do eye operations from 21-24th April .As a result most blind people were brought to the hospital and had their sight restored. The activity was funded by Sight Savers International.
As a follow up patients who regained their sight were interviewed and this was followed by a radio broadcast. Since then I have had several phone requests being asked when I can see so and so.
I am note sure how far I can go with this as I am now getting fatigued and becoming overwhelmed with other research activities .But as for now I can assure you that I am next operating at Mulanje district Hospital from the 5th -9th May and will bring you news from there.
Do you think these activities are good?
Should they continue?

What do you say?
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How was your Easter?

As for me I couldn’t have asked more than what I got for this Easter. For once I had a break from the busy work schedule in town. For 4 days I forgot as I was an eye doctor and a researcher.We went out to the North of Malawi with my family to visit other family members at home. We left Blantyre at 6.00am on good Friday ; had a stop at Jenda police road block in the afternoon, and bought some potatoes, onions and tomatoes to take home, proceeded to Chikangawa forest and had a short break for a drink and arrived in Mzuzu around 4.00pm . Yes a very long distance to cover (about 700km). In Mzuzu we did some more shopping; getting meat , fish and bread only left Mzuzu around 6pm for Ezondweni, Mtwalo. Upon seeing our vehicle the whole village warmly welcomed us; slaughtering local chicken for us to eat. With only candles used for lightening (no elcetrcity) and no TV to watch,
We spent most of the evening charting with old friends; some of them currently having 3 wives. In the morning I went to see Chief Mtwalo to pay him respect and for him to update me about the developments taking place in the village.I noted that his house now has electricity; thanks to the rural electrification project .
I then drove to Phwezi Boys secondary school in Rumphi Distrct to see my brother who is still in high school there;and on my way I stopped at Enukweni to see an old friend and primary school classmate who works as a medical assistant at Enukweni Health centre (he is nicknamed the Doctor).
In the afternoon we proceeded to Mpherembe through Sokopo but stopping at Luvwere to see my aunt who is married there.
At Mpherembe we went to Malidade at Chipwafu estate, where my mother inlaw stays.Our visit was followed by more partying and eating fresh corn. I visited the farm; with a lot of good tobacco , groundnuts and maize.
Having spent a night there we went back to Ezondenin to bid farewll to my mum; spent one more night there and on easter Monday we left at 6.00 am back to Blantyre and arrived in Blantyre at 5pm.
It was a good week for me and my family.

What did you do ?

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Empty Promises

A Malawian lady based in USA came across my blog site and emailed me that she was touched with the good work we were doing in the prevention of blindness in Malawi and asked whether she could fund some of the activities in one district of her choice in Malawi. She said she had good fiend in the USA who would raise some funds for us to use.A date for the planned activities was set in March and after so many email communications she confirmed that she would be raising the funds.
As usual I moblised my team to start announcing /publishing about the upcoming event ;and when all was almost done I contacted this lady to transfer the money but she did not respond to my emails. I tried every to get hold of her but did not succeed. Even though I knew she was based in Washington it was harder to know the exact adress. In the end activities were cancelled after already publishing as that did cost us some money.
Even though we do need money to do the various activities in Malawi we do not routinely ask for momey.We wait for well wishers to come forward on their own and we engage on negotiations with them on how they can help us fund the activities. Being as busy as I am; and considering that it takes time to communicate on email and get back to many people ;I hope that people who approach me should be serious if they intend to help.It is not nice to waiste so much time and at the end pull out without explaining the reasons. Sometimes it is good to communicate and apologise that things did not come up as they were meant to be and that we should cancel the programme.
We are always in constant need of equipment and other logistical things and whatever you will you may help with is welcome to us Currently we need to replace our outreach operating microscopes, we need theatre gowns and attire, we need computers for the research team and financing for such activities .If you have anything you can offer even a dollar , please get back to me –but not with empty promises.

I will be waiting for your email.

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