A country with a high rate of road traffic accidents has opened a new specialist hand unit.
Malawi has the ninth highest rate of road traffic deaths in the world and for every death, there are 25 non-fatal injuries causing permanent disability which can affect whole families and lead to poverty.
Last month, to support victims, a specialist hand unit was opened at Malawi’s Lilongwe Institute for Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics (LION) by Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi.
The new purpose-built healthcare facility will treat injured Malawi patients free of charge and is attached to the Kamuzu Central Hospital, in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, which serves a catchment population of several million people.
The project is one of 10 being run around the world by The British Society for Surgery of the Hand’s (BSSH) Global Partnership committee.
A BSSH spokesman said: “For five years, BSSH and the British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) will assist LION in the delivery of treatment for elective and traumatic conditions of the hand.
“We have recruited BSSH and BAHT volunteers who will work in the LION Hand Unit throughout this period.
“They will collaborate with local staff in the running of specialist hand clinics and regular hand trauma and elective lists, while promoting sustainability through education and training.
“LION aspires to become self-sufficient in the provision of specialist hand services by the end of the project.”
