No, not to Malawi but to this blog. Apple’s MobileMe will become defunct on June 30 so I have acquainted myself with WordPress. Over a year has passed since I have been in Malawi. I have been in frequent touch with many of my friends and members of the St. Martin’s Hospital and community. It did take longer for them to get the generator up and running, actually months longer but , the last I heard, it is working. What a relief for them because blackouts have been more prominent than ever.

Malawi has a new President, Joyce Banda. She replaced Bingu wa Mutharika who died in April 2012. This was a gift to the Malawian people. Bingu was becoming an autocrat, committing human rights violations, and pocketing funds intended for food, drugs, healthcare services and education. He became so distasteful that the UK and US governments cut off aid. The irony of his death is that there were no adequate healthcare facilities to care for him in the hospital in the capital, Lilongwe. He was immediately put onto a plane for South Africa. Joyce Banda is committed to the improvement of healthcare, education and gender equality. Time will tell.

The Malawi Kwacha (MK) has been devalued. The exchange rate went from MK 160 per USD to MK 270 per USD. The people are receiving the same salaries but the cost of everything imported (which is almost everything) cost nearly 70% more. It has been hard.

The hospital is benefitting tremendously from the supplies and equipment, especially in this time of need. Simkonda, the chief clinical officer,  has been using the ultrasound to assist him with diagnosis in maternal care. The operating room has more equipment. There are  enough gloves and sterile dressings for the next five years. There are enough beds, mattresses and oxygen concentrators for every patient, especially the infants and children.

Unfortunately, I do not have an active dialogue with the current administration. My partner in my initial endeavor, the original hospital administrator, Bernard Ngosi, died in 2010, of complications from diabetes. Since then, the hospital has not been on a direct path of improvement. Internal political differences have led to the departure of the accountant, John, the HIV/AIDs specialist, Evance, the lab supervisor, Lyson, the spiritual leader Archdeacon Eston Pembamoyo, and others.

In order for me to maximize my efforts, I need a stable on-site person to work with. I have learned that in order for any project to progress and be sustainable, there needs to be more on-ground community, civil and government involvement.

I stay in touch with many of my friends. I hear from Mercy, who cares for 8 children, and works  in the hospital. She recently informed me that she was only able to harvest 5 bags of maize this season, not enough to feed her family this year. Yes, I do send her money for food and to pay  fees for her children to attend school. It delights me, while  examining a patient in Scottsdale, Arizona,  to get a text from Mercy telling me that her oldest son did well on his exams.

St. Martin’s Hospital may not become the model rural hospital I envisioned years ago. However, due to my efforts, along with help from my supporters,  healthcare and the quality of life has improved for many. I plan to return in the end of August.