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96
Partners in
Malawi
Our collaboration with Malawian institutions
unfolds along two parallel, yet highly com-
plementary arms: one with a clinical focus
and one with a focus on impact evaluation
of complex health system interventions.
Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and the
Lighthouse (LH) are central to our colla-
boration on clinical studies. The College
of Medicine (COM) and Reach Trust (RT)
are central to our collaboration on health
systems analysis.
KCH is located in Lilongwe. It serves as a re-
ferral centre for all the districts of the central
region and is also a major referral hospital
for the northern parts of Malawi. KCH, alrea-
dy a teaching hospital for nurses, clinical
officers, medical assistants, and medical
doctors, has recently been designated to
become the second campus for the College
of Medicine in Malawi.
LH is also located in Lilongwe. Establis-
hed in 1997, the LH’s mission is to care for
people living with HIV/AIDS by providing a
continuum of quality services and support,
and by engaging to build capacity in the
health sector, in direct close collaboration
with the Ministry of Health. LH is now one
of the largest providers of ART in Malawi,
reaching out to over 22,000 patients.
Our cooperation with KCH and LH dates
back to 2005. After initial informal exchange,
cooperation with the two institutions (see
page 28) is now funded through GIZ as part
of the European hospital part-nership net-
work ESTHER (Ensemble pour une solidarité
thérapeutique hospitalière en reseau) and
further through a grant from the Hector
foundation. Both partnerships aim at health
system strengthening and quality improve-
ment.
The College of Medicine (COM) is located in
Blantyre. Established in 1991, COM has distin-
guished itself as an initiator of high class
health research. The collaboration is parti-
cularly vibrant with the Department of Com-
munity Health, given the common interests
and expertise (reproductive health, health
systems and financing, communicable and
non-communicable diseases). Beyond the
single collaborative research projects, HIPH
has made a long term commitment to foster
capacity building at COM through doctoral
training and faculty exchange, thanks to
support from the Norwegian Government
and USAID.
The Reach Trust (RT) is an independent Mala-
wian health research charity based in Lilon-
gwe. RT is a leader in research operating
at the intercept between clinical work and
social sciences. RT and HIPH are currently
implementing the first longitudinal compre-
hensive household survey to monitor access
to care and relative spending in Malawi.
HIPH has made a long term commitment
to foster capacity building at RT, mostly
through direct training of local junior
researchers. The collaboration between
HIPH and RT is funded by a DFG grant.
Experienced nurse at a Lighthouse review station in Malawi