About the project
The Board of the Aurora Foundation is preparing this project in cooperation with the management of the Mangochi District Hospital, and the health authorities in Malawi. Cost estimates have been prepared and work has begun on designing the new hospital wing. Construction is expected to take 6-8 months, so the wing will become operational in autumn 2008.
There are only 36 beds at the district hospital, which is not nearly enough since on average there are always about 80 patients receiving care. The donation from the Aurora Foundation will make it possible to double the amount of space allocated for children and add 36 beds. Also, there will be 10 additional beds in the intensive care and newborn unit, a reception area and a duty station for nurses. Furthermore, work will commence on implementing a sewage system, including septic tanks, for the children’s wing/hospital.
It is evident that there is a great need to improve health-care services in this region, not least of all for children. Infant mortality is significant: over 10% of all new-borns die, and the mortality rate for children under 5 years of age is about 175 for every 1,000 new-borns. Fewer than half of all children grow normally due to malnutrition.
The major causes of death in Malawi are aids, pneumonia and malaria. The two latter diseases are particularly hard on children. Child wards, where they do exist, are crowded with children suffering from these illnesses. The new children’s‘ wing in Mangochi, therefore, is a much welcome addition.
The Mangochi District Hospital serves about 750,000 people, and is the primary hospital for the area, while a much smaller hospital is operated about 60 km away. The couple Sigurður Guðmundsson, Iceland's Medical Director of Health and Board member of the Aurora Foundation, and Sigríður Snæbjörnsdóttir, Managing Director of the Suðurnes Health Institution, worked at the latter mentioned hospital as part of their work in Malawi for the Icelandic International Development Agency from 2006-2007.
- A development report from the United Nations was released on 27 November 2007, which included a Human Development Index that focused in particular on at national income per capita, life span and level of education. Malawi ranked 164 of 177 countries, while Iceland ranked number one for the first time.
