Day 3 | Visiting the community hospital in Mpherembe

We started our second day by meeting with Rebecca, the Malawi Country Representative for LIN (Luke International Norway). She introduced us to the projects that LIN is working on, including the nutrition projects, educational capacity building, and electronic health information system. Following this, we had our first chance to go into the field! With the DHO (District Health Office), we visited a community hospital in Mpherembe. a small community about 2-3 hours away from Mzuzu. The drive to the hospital was bumpy, but we passed some beautiful mountain scenery and got to take some photos!

While we were at the hospital, we shadowed some DHO staff as they collected IDSR (Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response) data. They used patient logs and cross-checked them against daily and weekly reports. We learned more about the diseases that are reported weekly and monthly, and watched them discuss the results with the community hospital members. Some of us even had the chance to help with tallying the results! What stood out to us was the focus that the DHO staff put on collaborating with the community hospital, especially the barriers that they faced with tracking diseases. Everyone was very warm and answered our many questions about the hospital and the disease surveillance activities! Afterwards, we had a chance to see the hospital facilities and learn more about the services that they offer.

After another 2.5-hour drive back to our dorm in Mzuzu, we spent some time recapping the day before heading to dinner with Natasha, Joseph, Rebecca, and a few other prominent LIN collaborators. It was a great chance to connect with people who have so much knowledge and experience in global health to share. We look forward to working with them over the next 6 weeks!

Highlights

• Meeting LIN Country Representative, Rebecca
• Visiting the community hospital in Mpherembe with DHO
• Dinner with many prominent members of LIN and the global health community

(Verbal consent was obtained before taking the pictures)