Macha Mission Hospital is a 208-bed hospital with medical and surgical services, 2 Medical adult wards (1 male, 1 female) with a total of 94 beds, a separate inpatient TB ward with 24 beds, 1 Pediatrics ward with 60 beds, 4 Labor and Delivery room suites totaling 30 beds, operating rooms for major surgeries and an outpatient clinic that services 120 patients per day. The hospital also conducts Community Health Programs providing immunizations, HIV testing and a male circumcision program.
The elective rotation includes making regular rounds on the assigned ward with the staff doctors, seeing outpatients in the clinics both mornings and afternoons, and assisting in the operating theatre twice a week.
Past Participants
Melissa Parrish – Class of 2019
“Throughout this process, I was reminded that we are all in need of this fundamental connection. In my future practice, whether it be in Birmingham, Alabama or Macha, Zambia and whether I may be able to provide all the medicines in the world or there are no more treatments available, the one aspect of treating the person I will not forget is that of human touch.”
John Snellgrove – Class of 2019
“In a matter of weeks, I grew to appreciate a side of medicine that I had yet to experience thus far in my training. I was able to explore the most basic role of a physician in the lives of patients, families, and communities. While in Macha, I experienced firsthand the privilege and responsibility that comes with the role of a healthcare provider.”
Kendall Snellgrove – Class of 2019
“Upon reflection, it was not the surprising way pediatric medicine transcended cultures that was the most impactful aspect of this month abroad. Instead, the foreseeable differences were ultimately the greatest catalysts for change. Although these catalysts involved tragic realities, I am extremely grateful for the way I was transformed throughout and by my time in Macha, Zambia.”
Mukinge Hospital – Kasempa, Zambia
Mukinge Mission Hospital was established in 1953 with the aim of providing quality health care services to the rural people of Kasempa and beyond. The hospital has a bed capacity of 202 and seven wards. The Institution offers a wide range of curative services such as medical, surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, physiotherapy and orthopedics and plastics. Out-patient clinics include the following: MCH (Antenatal, Postnatal, Cervical Cancer, and Family Planning), TB, HIV/ART, General Medical and Surgical Clinics, Radiology, Dental, Physiotherapy and Laboratory services.
The elective rotation includes training in both inpatient and outpatient obstetrics, participation in daily maternity ward rounds, working closely with midwives during delivery and observing how high risk and complicated pregnancies are managed at the hospital.
Past Participants
Amanda Alldredge – Class of 2019
“All of the minor details about the appearance of the wards and the missing resources had fallen away, allowing me to see the truly important aspects of a hospital that does so much for its patients with so little.”