David Gordon Memorial Hospital Maternity Extension, Livingstonia, Malawi
The DGMH is a general purpose mission hospital on the plateau in Livingstonia and serves the local and outlying areas with medical aid. Una Brownlee from Knock Presbyterian Church, Belfast works there. She commented that when she started in the maternity ward many years ago 30 babies a month were being delivered. Today that number has reached an average of 80 per month. With the increased numbers being born and still within the cramped conditions, it seemed right that we should support a project to enlarge the maternity wards. In May 2010 work started to demolish the existing wards and start to extend the size of the wards.
Local builders dug out and laid the concrete foundations and sub floors ready for the bricklayers to commence building. Later a self employer builder from Mourne Presbyterian Church left and flew to Malawi to be project manager. He stayed there for several months and came back when the local builders had reached roof level.
In 2011 a team from Mourne flew out and installed the roof trusses and tin covering. The locals then finished the interior plastering, painting and electrics. A second team flew out in October 2011 and tiled the floors, hung doors and installed the sanitary ware.
Today the DGMH has a new up-to-date labour ward with a nurses station, stores, examination room, nursery, toilets and shower facilities, along with private wards for infected (aids) and non-infected patients. The new hospital extension is approximately 6 times larger than the old ward and is a much better environment to work in.
