This weeks pictures are dedicated to the Mutima project and all the lives that are going to be saved through it.
In what started as a casual conversation between New Zealand based,Zambian doctor – Dr. Munanga Mwandila, Cardiothoracic Surgeon Mr. Harsh Singh and Clinical Nurse specialist Kirstin Walsh, the great Mutima project was born.
The Mutima project aims to perform 15 – 20 heart valve replacements per year in Zambia for the next 5yrs. During that time they will help develop a Cardiac Unit at UTH and also help to train the local staff.The traveling team will constitute over 30 medical personnel from New Zealand, including Cardiothoracic registrars, Cardiac Anaethetists, Cardiac technicians, Perfusionists, Theatre, ICU and ward nurses, led by Dr.Harsh Singh a Cardiothoracic Surgeon.
Dr Mwandila recounted to his colleagues in New Zealand how as a Medical student at Ridgeway campus he encountered many young patients suffering from rhematic heart disease.What starts out as a sore throat in childhood caused by a strain of Streptococcal bacteria leads to life threatening Rheumatic fever and Rheumatic heart disease in the teen years.The sore throat is easily treatable by antibiotics but if left untreated( as often is the case in Zambia) later leads to involvement and damage of heart valves. This also is treatable by heart valve replacement but Zambia does not have the expertise or equipment to perform this kind of operation.Many young Zambians are thereby given an early death sentence.Most of these patients are dead by mid thirties.They lead a miserable existence with many frequent episode of congestive heart failure till finally their diseased hearts succumb.The incidence of RHD in Zambia is 12.6/1000
On the 2nd April a small group of medical volunteers from the Mutima project flew into the counrty from New Zealand. The team included Harsh Singh (Surgeon and Clinical Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Christchurch Hospital), Graham Roper (Cardiac Anaesthetist and clinical director of anaesthesia at Christchurch Hospital), Kirstin Walsh (Clinical Nurse Specialist for Cardiac Theatres at Christchurch Hospital) and Dr Munanga Mwandila Surgical Registrar at Christchurch hospital. This was a fact finding mission to see what is on the ground and establish to links with doctors and nurses of UTH as well as the Ministry of Health and also to establish working relationships with potential partners including the Cardiac Trust of Zambia, the Roundtable and KCM.
Mr. Singh said Companies in New Zealand have donated the valves and other equipment, and an “amazing” number of people have helped in different ways.A calculated cost of about $500,000 would be needed each time the team comes to perform the surgeries, but Mr.Singh noted that that was a small price to pay to save so many lives.
We would like to urge our LT readers to give to this cause- no amount is too small. For those abroad, you can donate online using your credit card.The good people of New Zealand have already donated money, their time, expertise and a commitment to see this project through. As seen in picture 8 its the Zambian way to give no matter how little you may have. For more information about the Mutima project and how you can donate CLICK HERE
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Good Afternoon
It is very encouraging to know that there are some Zambian doctors who still return home to initiate and run important projects like this. This is a far much better alternative than accepting donor funds in return for policy change.
The government should promote more projects like this where skilled Zambians abroad are attracted to come home and get involved in the betterment of life in Zambia. All the best to Dr. Mwandila & his team!:)>-
Bushe nitu Mosi ndemona pa pic #11 (from my own count) ati pa day three.?…. batantamika natu cocacola ukwipailamo iwanu…. :)>-
This is soo nice. God bless these people!
Dr Munanga Mwandila , you are a true hero of Zambia . I hope you and your team get an official luncheon at state house to further highlight this great initiative.
The sad thing is that government , past or present , ought to be the one expected to develop these important sectors of health care. There are enough ministers and their deputies and assistants to do the organisational work . Instead they opt to send themselves abroad , which is not cheap .
Good initiative.I’m impressed.
By the way, it seems Ba LT has removed picture number 11 that Blogger Number 2 is talking about.
This is what we Zambians in the diaspora are suposed to be doing. Not sitting on our fat butts complaining day in day out about RB,SATA,HH on LT.Bravo Dr.Mwandila! You are a true patriot=d>=d>
Aaaaah! UTH! Looks nice on pictures! The odours dont come through. There is no doubt that all Zambian medical personell who are in the diaspora have good wishes and intentions for the motherland. All of them still have members of their immediate and extended families who tell the horror stories of inadequate care they receive from the health service. Kavindele once upon a time touted the idea of recruiting retired people from the developed countries to staff our institutions. I still think this is a good idea. We need lecturers, doctors, teachers etc. Why not have these to come and work in Zambia. GRZ could offer board and lodging free, while their pensions back home remains untouched. Good weather, holiday resorts would be good for the 60-70 yr old professionals for a year each.
Apologies ..picture 11 is actually there!! Good initiative again!
Oh my God bless these souls^:)^. Its great to know that there are advantaged people out there who are also zambians with hearts. One Zambia, one Nation. I Love this innitiative**==
did they come to drink mosi or to help the needy?
Cant help noting that juicy fruit beside the young lady in pic 7. Ohhh then the Pumkins…. how sweet. That was such a nice gesture…am so emotional now….:-ss=d>
#2 Are rejoycing or what ? Even if it is Mosi or Coca-Cola, it does not matter at all so to speak; what matters is the wonderful and save the life job they are going to perform on our brothers and sisters at UTH. I advise you to bring constructive contributions on the net. Mwila tu sebanisha mwe bantu.
#4, The aftermath of the floods will not even spare good deeds by those wonderful people.
Many thanks to this medical team for their help. May this be only the beginning.
This is refreshing news and highly commendable. #7 I agree with you. Indeed there is also what’s called “medical tourism” that aims mainly at treating foreign senior citizens in climates such as ours. This is being done by countries like Seychelles. Congratulations to Dr. Mwandila and team! Good show=d>
that ICU. loking the same 20 years on. Iam sure those that have worked there or visited will remember. the corridor in pic1 takes me right back to UTH. keep up the good work
Congratulations Dr Mwandila & the ‘Mutima Project Team’. May you be established & may your vision flourish in your quest to help the 95% of Zambian Patients who can’t afford to fly to South African clinics…
#8 has touched my heart too in that it is a representation of the Zambian heart of generosity…ever giving & ever sharing despite being underprivileged and poor. I hope this will serve as an example to us in the diaspora to start thinking of using our excesses to help good causes home.
This is very very good news….May God bless Mutima Project…Only if our president can half his trips abroad, maybe we can locally fund such projects ourselves….It is only $500, 000, and how much does our president spend on many of those useless trips abroad per year…..We lack prioritization as a country. Unless, we get our priorities right, we will forever be poor as a country
great help!! big ups to the mutima doctors
this is Phenominal!! iI wish we could see more of these from patriotic Zambians
I am glad I donated to this project. This is what it means to be a Zambian who cares for Zambia.
It is indeed a good gesture that one can´t live without saying thanks for the initiators and the ones in the team. Nice too smiles from the patiants too as this shows how hopeful they are. Big Up.
Yeah this is the spirit.Yeah for a healthy zambia:-?
This is 10times better than studying medicine in Russia coz these guyz they know what they are talking about in english,not learning in upside down letters in Russian language.Ask Kardson!!
God bless Dr Mwandila….this sure is a wake up call to all of us arm chair critics who think Zambia will only get better when our tribesmen become presidents…..well done Dr! you are a true patriot. Many thanks to your team members as well….bravo!
Some familier faces at UTH thot some had left for greenier pastures.:-?
Good news for a change.
God Bless you Dr Mwandila and the rest of the Mutima Foundation.
Please ba Zambia even if we are poor, you can’t even provide glasses for a meeting. Mubotolo ya Coca-Cola ku kamwa in a boardroom. Mwaitaya.
#24 has a point,but it depends who you are personally to study in Russia.
Ba Zambia sure even if we are poor, you can’t even provide glasses for the meeting. Na botolo ya Coca-Cola in a boardroom not Ayoba!
Dr. Mwandila, Mr Singh, Kirstin Walsh and your team, what you are doing is simply amazing. Bring smiles and tears joy to a number of families. Your words are so true Mr.Singh saving a life is priceless. LT thanks a lot for the insight into the Mutima project.
mwabombeni bane mwandila & Co. God bless you
God Bless the Men & Women in scrubs. They are the true heroes and for all you MD’s on here, God bless you and yours.
good to see this work led by a Zambian-born doctor and encouraging to see cross-cultural team work at its best – working as one for the same goal
While you in Zambia check Chilubu’s heart. I hope the next group will be the head doctors so that the can check Lupia ‘ s head.
Please not just policking and bootlicking other people’s boots, lets all donate. Am making it public as a challenge to every one including SENIOR CITIZEN and his same s.e.x civil partner Mr Capitlist that am donating £20. As the author put it every little donation will help.
It’s not time to congratulate Dr Mwandila, it time to donate. Talk is cheap its time to walk the walk, open your wallets and start donating. LT is possible to tell us after say a week how much has been raised by the loud mouths here.
May ba Yahweh bless everyone affiliated with the mutima project; may He reward you a thousand-fold for very second you commit to this project
Good work indeed.What a direct impact on the patients life. How ever it should be noted that there are many Doctors from outside who are doing wonderful work and deserve our recognition.
I have in mind the IVV, international vision volunteers who have set up a modern eye hospital at Zimba mission hospital. There also many missionary doctors that are doing work in our mission hospitals.Talk of St Francis in Katete, Monze Mission, Mwandi Mission etc. These same Doctors are subjected to paying for practicing licenses, by our very own government, what a shame.
You do not need to be a politician to effect change back home in Zambia, this is one good example.
# 39 i think practicing certificates or lincences are just inorder but incases where someone is a volunteer or missionary i think they should be given after verification of their qualifications. Here in europe, regardless of how many med DR qualificatins you have to your name, they wont risk a persons life to ask you to attend to them without a clearance certificate.Even just making food for other than your family in any kitchen, you need a medical clearance and certificate to prove you undertand cross contamination and that no one is at risk. in Zambia. we are not good at all this we just allow people with fake doctrate qualifications to operate on patients thats why we always hear of metal pieces from the utensils left/forgotten inside a patiens`s body.often these patients die from such
Wow, this really has inspired the heck out me!!!
It is good to know there are still individuals out there with noble intentions. For these doctors to leave their comfortable lives and come to live among our poor, even for short, is simply touching.
Dr. Mwandila, Dr. Singh, Nurse Walsh, and the entire “Mutima project” crew, God bless all of you. You are an inspiration and a Godsend to a segment of our society whose lives and misfortunes do not seem to matter at all, even to our own government leaders who have some how found it appropriate to run our health-care system as an afterthought. They fly themselves out of the country, at the expense of these same poor taxpayers they can’t take care of at home, to go and enjoy health care facilities that other govts have built up.
Thanks to you Dr Makasa
well done mutima foundation
well done ba mutima project. this is what we need in our mother land. God should bless you all in your good job you are doing. It is really nice to give back to our mother land.
good work doctor we also need help to train zambian doctors and open up a cardiology hospital.great thinking not just warming up chairs in offices
Thank God for patriotic Zambians! Well done =d>
I agree with No. 40…you don’t have to join politics in order to effect POSITIVE change in Zed!!
good projects from dr mwandila. hope rb will chanell his garavanting money to this project. may the good lord bless.
God bless Dr Mwandila. May the politicians learn something from your project. Lots love from aussie.
God bless your project Dr Mwandila.
Well done Dr Munthali & Co., also to those in the diaspora that do carry out Charity projects in Zambia but haven’t gone public. Indeed a big challenge to all of us in the diaspora that can do some positive contribution. What of a Zambian Diaspora Charity Organisation? Food for thought…. Zambians… am ready to be part of it..
Nice work big thumbs up to the mutima team.# 51 ba Ndapapa organizations don’t work.They are jusat shrouded in bureaucracy.Theres already a Zambia Diaspora fimo fimo all they produce are minutes of their meetings! just donate to mutima at least the pictures prove they mean business
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Polish Presidents jet crashes killing the President, his wife and senior government officials. Food for thought for our own RB to slow down we dont need another state funeral to gobble the much needed K20 bn.
hey doc well done, we need many of the docs in the diaspora to come up with such initiatives, well done. its a disgrace that the MOH with its many docs do noyhing but wait for donor funds amd embezzle through their many H.I.V. workshops. where is the K26 billiion kwacha? Nanomba Dr miti is free, mwe fipuba mwe.
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I love pic # 8. Even though we may be poor we know how to bless others as well, this is simply awesome. Probably this family gave away all the ‘bumper’ harvest they had this year – Pure organic pumpkins.
Mutima is a good name to start with.. Good on you Dr Mwandila**==**==
Very uplifting piece of news. There are Zambians out there who passionately care about our country. May the Mutima Project prosper well into the future. This is the way to go as specified by Nine Chale. The onus is now on us to financially support this and it is mu sincere prayer that most of us will.
Great initiative that will go a long way in saving precious life. God bless Dr. Mwandila. Very few people in the diaspora would think of doing such for their motherland
OMG. Is that a sphygmanometer I am seeing at the nurses work station? I need to see this ICU!
i salute you Doc for the good initiative and intention to help in giiving life to vulnerable zambians. we will support you sir, all the way. ni all smiles chabe…..
Dr Mwandila you are a true Zambian at heart, we salute you. I hope more Zambians abroad can come up with one small project to better the lives of our people. Development is not from Government only, late Mwanawasa used to tell us that though you are outside, do not forget to build your house, another one for your parents and send the old folks pocket money, that is development.
We are so thankful to those people who had to come all the to Zambia. Our own people all the do is spend time in the so called seminars strategising on how they can ask for donations from donors shame!!!
We are so thankful to those people who had to come all the way to Zambia. Our own people all they do is spend time in the so called seminars strategising on how they can ask for donations from donors shame!!!
Dr Mwandila has shown what it takes to serve people from the heart! Keep up the good works.
Well done and all the best bro, you know we are besides you and your team all the way through:)>-