It has been almost two years since I last saw Malawi. Having been accustomed to visiting "the warm heart of Africa" two to three times a year prior to starting my surgical residency, it was quite shocking to see how many changes have occurred in this small - land locked country. The streets are busy with tiny import vehicles, such as a Japanese version of a Ford Fiesta, only in this case filled with 6-8 Africans. Several large new buildings have arisen, most with empty stores. I was discouraged to find that over the past several months the kwacha (Malawian currency) has lost what little value it had two years ago. However, just as usual, the people are as friendly and optimistic as I remember in spite of the discouraging state of their nation; this is a country that continues to live up to its nickname.
This trip to Malawi is a short but important one for me. During the summer of 2014, we plan on running what will be the first of
hopefully many medical/surgical missions with US based doctors, nurses
and other volunteers here in Malawi. According to the medical council of Malawi (I myself have counted,) there are 37 practicing surgeons total, either foreign or domestic, in Malawi; consider this number in the context of a population of 16 million! One of my goals on this visit is to establish a new project for World Camp. I have just visited several rural hospitals with semi-functioning operating rooms that have no surgeon...or any physician for that matter! The fact is that everyday, an untold number of Malawians needlessly die because they do not have access to the most basic medical care. Wouldn't it be exciting if we could fill a small part of this void?
Please follow our journey, support our cause, volunteer, and help Malawians get the medical care they need and deserve. I believe that if the first World can consider access to healthcare a basic right, so should the citizens of Malawi. I thank you in advance for your support.
