Macha Hospital

Macha, Zambia is an amazing place. In the middle of the African bush there is a modern village that is literally bringing life to the Tonga people. At Macha there is a hospital, school, and the Malaria Research Institute. Satellite provides internet connection with the world, and the hospital provides wireless access to the village. (Yes, you can go to a mud hut with a grass-thatch roof and find a laptop computer connecting to the world.)

Compared to American hospitals, Macha is poorly equipped. Medicine is sometime limited, there are only two doctors for the entire hospital, and medical technology is very limited. We had the chance to meet two mothers who gave birth to pre-mature babies. (The mother in the picture is holding one of her triplets.) They have no incubators, or monitors, etc--yet if the babies are at least two pounds at birth, over 75% of them survive. When you first walk through the hospital it feels dirty. Family members just crowd into the rooms--sometimes sleeping on the floor under the bed of their loved one. You know that every day people die in this hospital. But in a unique way, this hospital feels more alive than some of our hospitals in America. The mortality rate is higher in Africa--but it feels less sterile and more relational. You are certainly not just a number on a chart at this hospital. There is no fighting with insurance--just a connecting with your family and a trust in your doctor. Please understand, I prefer the medical care and resources we have in the U.S.--but Macha hospital reminded me that relationships are always more important than always finding a cure to various sicknesses.

Finally, another amazing aspect of the Macha hospital is the work with HIV/AIDS. They are able to dispense free drugs that significantly prolong the life of those who are infected. Much of the funding is provided by President Bush's $15 billion AIDS Relief Initiative. (It was nice to see my tax dollars be put to good use!) The African culture tends to have a fatalistic "what-will-be-will-be" perspective and this kept many people from getting tested for AIDS. Obviously, this contributed to the ongoing spread of the disease. These life-prolonging drugs are challenging that perspective and now many people are coming to get tested. The result is that in the Macha area they have seen a decrease in the levels of infection.