A new hospital has been constructed at Changamire Village, Traditional Authority Chimwala in Mangochi district, by Mangochi Diocese of the Catholic Church. Known as St. Mary’s Hospital, the health facility is expected to offer maternity, under-five, outpatient department, dental, HIV testing and counselling services.
According to Mangochi Diocese Vicar General Frank Chingale, they wanted to help people access healthcare services easily. “We are compelled by our teachings that we should endeavour to take care of people not only through evangelisation, but also providing them with physical needs,” he said when inaugurating the health facility at its premises near DMI St. John the Baptist University in the district,
Mangochi District Hospital medical officer Chimwemwe Thambo said patients from Ukalanga, Mpondasi and Asaalam health centres will now be referred to the new facility instead of Mangochi District Hospital, as the case before.
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Mangochi District Hospital
The hospital in Mangochi has 400+ beds and serves a catchment area of over 1 million people. There are a broad array of services including wards for men, women, children, TB, nutritional rehab, surgical services, and a labor ward. Outpatient services include numerous
problem-specific clinics, including weekly diabetes and hypertension clinics.
At Mangochi, similar to other district level sites, care is provided by Clinical Officers and their interns, as well as nurses, with the limited College of Medicine faculty and Family Medicine post-graduate trainees serving as the sole physicians. Besides medical students, there are plentiful learners on site including nursing, Clinical Officer, and Medical Assistant students.