Major improvements in healthcare by Musokwe Medical Complex
Thanks to the generosity and support of ProjectsNow donors, a series of projects has produced a complex of health structures which now serves Namoomba and the surrounding Villages. Before ProjectsNow involvement villagers had to walk many kilometres to the nearest clinic or attend the Siavonga Hospital 40 kilometers away.
Four projects make for good healthcare in the region
The initial objective was to create an operational clinic from a bat-infested derelict building. The Clinic was completed and used daily by 30-40 patients but its very existence created another problem. In order for the Ministry of Health to staff the Clinic two units of residential accommodation had to be built. As a result, ProjectsNow Musokwe Project N° 2 was funded, constructed and handed over to the Ministry of Health.
The next facility on the local community wish list was a Maternity Facility. ProjectsNow Challenge N° 3. ProjectsNow made the wish come true and pregnant mothers no longer had to endure home births or an extensive ‘trek’ to the nearest maternity facility. Included in the development is a dental surgery with solar lighting and power to allow night time births.
But inevitably the issue of residential accommodation for the Ministry of Health appointed maternity nurses immediately became an issue; hence ProjectsNow Project N° 4 support for 2 additional homes. A decision was made in November 2017 to support the construction of a new 2 unit semi-detached residential building.
Our major project in 2018: housing for maternity nurses
The development process began with the vital steps that had to be taken to fulfil the medical complex need:
• A budget of US$ 30,000 plus was prepared and approved
• All the funds were sourced before any work could be started
• The execution of the works provided for use of local materials and labour wherever available.
The entire exercise took twelve months with constant supply of staff rations, regular visits from ProjectsNow/Project Manager/Architect Andy Anderson. Works had to be complete before the rains when roads become impassable. The driving time Lusaka-Namoomba is 4 to 6 hours, meaning much time spent on the road.
And in the end: a complete healthcare structure
The end-product is so rewarding for the village that had no health facilities, now with access to life-saving health care.The community is eternally thankful. ProjectsNow and all the financial donors can take great satisfaction that notwithstanding difficult and challenging bush construction, a very worthwhile contribution to Zambia’s health structure has been completed
Andy Anderson, ProjectsNow – Lusaka