NCD Clinic

A recent WHO Report highlights “of all the major health threats to emerge over the past 10 years, none has challenged the very foundations of public health so profoundly as the rise of chronic non-communicable diseases”. 

Non Communicalbe Diseases (NCDs) also known as chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and asthma — once considered a problem only of affluent societies — are now global concerns, with the heaviest burden concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In Malawi, the probability of dying of a chronic disease between the ages of 30 and 70 years is up to four times higher than in wealthy countries.

One in 20 people in Malawi have diabetes and access to care is limited. Working with the team at St Johns HOspital we have developed a clinic providing access to treatment. DESMOND is the only structured self-management education course for people living with type 2 diabetes developed by the University of Leicester. Through the generous sharing of resources it was possible to run a number of local courses in Malawi which were well received.

Childhood asthma is common in Malawi, most likely due to large amounts of indoor smoke related to indoor cooking. We were able to develop a system incorporating improved disease assessment and improved inhaler use which resulted in a 65% reduction in asthma admissions to St John's Hospital Mzuzu within six months.

The Non Communicable Disease Clinic in St Johns Hospital continues to grow and now has over 500 patients attending. This clinic focuses on conditions such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes and has shown significant improvements in the management of these conditions. Given the increasing numbers attending the clinic has now moved to a larger space and this refurbishment was funded through a donation by the JP McManus Foundation to the hospital.

New beginnings

Through the generous support of the JP McManus Benevolent Fund St Johns Hospital was able to move to a larger clinic space to deal with the increasing number of patients