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The Montefort Hospital, located in the Chikwawa District, Southern Malawi (click here for map), Africa, serves a population of approximately 100,000 people, including the workers on the largest sugar plantation in Malawi and its business capital.
This hospital has no adequate dental services available. Dental problems have been attended to as much as possible by a general Medical Officer or a Clinical Officer, neither of whom are dentists, neither of whom are trained to treat even the simplest of dental disease or problems. Dental equipment is sorely lacking and serious dental problems have to be referred and managed in Blantyre, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
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Recently, a specially trained "Dental Clinical Officer" has been appointed for the Montefort Hospital. However, there is no properly equipped dental clinic space available, no dental chair, dental unit or lighting, and dental instruments such as they are, are inadequate. Mr. Phiri, the Dental Clinical Officer has been doing a remarkable job considering his very limited resources.
The Montefort Hospital would very much like to improve its dental services. An area that presently serves as a small outpatient clinic is available, but the area lacks proper wiring, flooring and other requirements for a clean and adequate dental facility.
The pain, distress and morbidity from dental infections and dental trauma is great, and Professor Robin Broadhead, Professor of Medicine at the Malawi Medical school, reports that dental problems often cause greater distress than many medical problems in Malawi. Malawians, on the whole, used to have fairly good dentitions, but their traditional diet, usually low in refined sugars, is changing, and they have become prone to poor dental hygiene and resulting dental diseases.
MediShare International, together with the Bush Hospital Foundation based on Jersey, Channel Islands, UK. have undertaken to upgrade and improve the Montefort Hospital dental facilities. MediShare International has contributed the requested amount of $4,500.00 to complete this project. Working through Direct Relief International of Santa Barbara, California, one of the world's most effective and experienced medical relief agencies, these funds will provide two dental chairs, a dental unit and light, a curing light, an amalgamator, table top autoclave, air compressor, vacuum pump, two high speed hand pieces with replacement cartridges, a low speed hand piece and replacement cartridge, a package of assorted burs and instruments and a pallet of assorted disposable clinical supplies including towels, headrest covers, masks and gloves.
The Bush Hospital Foundation will additionally contribute $6,700.00 (USD) for laboratory supplies, pharmaceuticals, surgical supplies, IV solutions, gloves and antibiotics as well as a substantial additional funds for construction and upgrading of the existing clinic facility.
Because of the ability of Direct Relief International to obtain supplies and equipment at enormous discounts, our combined sponsorship of $11,200.00 will provide this aid package which has a total estimated wholesale value of $85,800.00 (USD). A Federal grant from USAID is expected to pay all transportation costs from the west coast of America to Malawi, Africa.
William Stenberg, DDS
Executive Director, MediShare International