Mzuzu Eye Dept Overwhelmed by Patients
Mzuzu eye dept overwhelmed by patients without referral docs from feeder clinics.
Mzuzu, Malawi— Mzuzu Central Hospital's eye department is being overwhelmed by patients from all over the Northern region, many of whom do not produce referral documents from feeder health centres or district hospitals, writes Draxon Maloya.
"We are always overwhelmed with patients because, in most cases, budgets for the feeder health care centres in our districts are quite inadequate," said Hospital Director Ted Bandawe.
"We share medicine and supplies to deal with eye complications wherever people with eye problems report their cases."
Bandawe said that the hospital has been able to screen and provide surgery to more than 8,000 patients through an outreach program funded by the Lions Club International.
He said that the new anaesthesia machine and hi-tech microscope will help the hospital continue to provide quality care to patients.
Lions Club International Inspector of Projects of Eye First Hospitals, Dr Simon Arunga, said that he is satisfied with the progress that Malawi has made in optical treatment delivery services.
However, he bemoaned the tendency of patients with eye complications to report late to the hospital, often after their problems have aggravated into total blindness.
"It is very sad that our region has a common problem whereby, due to some myths, people tend to seek proper eye treatment after complicating curable problems with the use of uncertified optical concoctions flooding our markets," said Arunga.
Lions Club International District Governor for District 412B, Lion Jack Kammayani, said that the Eye First project is benefiting a lot of health facilities in Malawi and Mozambique.
He said that the project has a component of procuring machines for the eye departments, which will help to improve the quality of care that is provided.