The AMECA Wing
We are changing the lives of children in Malawi.
Thousands of children in Malawi suffer from debilitating conditions such as clubfoot, hip dysplasia, cleft lip and palate, hydrocephalus, burn contractures and spine deformities.
There are devastating consequences for these children if they are not treated.
- Children are often shunned by their community and even by their families.
- These children more often than not will not go to school.
- They, therefore, are condemned to have no income and no future.
- Most families in Malawi are unable to afford treatment for often totally curable conditions.
- Government hospitals often do not have the resources to offer effective treatment.
Surgeons at The Beit CURE International Hospital in Blantyre have treated thousands of disadvantaged children with disabilities, literally transforming their lives and those of their families.
The AMECA Wing
The AMECA Wing, opened in May 2011, comprises a totally sustainable income-producing private elective surgical ward.
To date the AMECA Wing has served the hospital well for multiple uses and has produced over £55,000 of income. This innovative venture has many important outcomes:
- All the income from private surgical cases is used to fund free paediatric orthopaedic treatment and in addition, some of the income contributes to the running of the Malawi Clubfoot Programme.
- Patients who would normally go abroad for treatment now can opt to remain in Malawi; this helps to retain foreign exchange in Malawi and thus aids the economy.
- Th AMECA Wing is also used to provide paediatric physiotherapy for CURE’s children.
- The AMECA Wing is also now being used for private physiotherapy patients, therefore increasing available revenue.
The AMECA Wing is dedicated to the memory of Dr Alex Coutselos.
In keeping with AMECA’s charitable objectives, we also built much-needed training offices including a small reference library for medical staff; these facilities are used for medical conferences, therefore producing a further income stream for children’s treatment.
Finally, we built a small coffee bar, the revenue from which further aids funding of paediatric orthopaedic surgery. The AMECA Cafe has become a really popular meeting point in Blantyre and the chocolate cake is legend!!
The AMECA Trust is very proud of its first build project. Within days of opening, The AMECA Wing was being used for elective surgical cases. The charity is especially proud to have employed the services of so many local people in Malawi and to have completed this project on time and within budget.