Palliative care students hostel opens at MMH

IMG_0388On an unseasonably wet and cold afternoon, MMH pallliative care team gathered together with management and staff, the hospital chaplain, visitors from the Palliative Care Support Trust in Blantyre, and Mr Tony Chiwaya, the project’s building contractor, to officially open our new eight -bedded hostel for students on clinical placement at MMH. As well as providing accommodation for BSc palliative care student placements,  the hostel will also provide for students on attachment to the MMH palliative care team for Continuing Professional Development.

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Matron hands MMH longest serving Palliative Care nurse, Ethel Misomali, the scissors, and moments later the ribbon is cut and the hostel declared open.

MMH and PCST staff with our hospital chaplain on the steps of the new hostel.

Speeches by Annie Kaseka, palliative care nurse at MMH, Dr  Cornelius Huwa, Medical Director of the palliative Care Support Trust, and Dr Ruth Shakespeare, Medical Director at MMH completed the formal proceedings, whilst  other staff provided a traditional MMH celebration with songs and dances which were enthusiastic despite the rain!

Our thanks to Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society,  especially Cathy Ratcliff and David Dewhurst who have supported the  development of the METHOD programme, and to the donor organisation UKAID for this wonderful development.

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