This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Support for Scottish medics wanting to volunteer in Malawi
26/05/2005
Scots who decide to work in Malawi as VSO volunteers
will get financial backing from the Executive, it was
announced today.
First Minister Jack McConnell said that initially up to
ten Scots a year will get their superannuation costs paid
while they are on a two year placement in Malawi.
The scheme, the first of its kind in the UK, is designed
to encourage Scottish medical professionals, particularly
older, experienced staff, to work with the Malawi health
sector to address the problems caused by HIV/AIDS, extreme
poverty and a human resources crisis.
Speaking at Nkhoma Nurse Training Centre, where he met
three Scottish volunteers currently working in the country,
Mr McConnell said:
"We are removing barriers to volunteering at home, but
we also need to help those who want to help others
abroad.
"Scottish volunteers are saving lives here in Malawi and
this scheme will make that choice easier for others in
future."
The announcement was welcomed by Mark Goldring, Chief
Executive of VSO, who said:
"VSO and many people within Scotland share strong links
with and a deep concern for Malawi. It is therefore really
positive that we have found a way of working together to
offer professional skills from Scotland to improve health
care in Malawi.
"At a time when many institutions in the UK are more
interested in bringing much needed medical staff out of
Africa to meet British needs, it is great that the Scottish
Executive is forward looking in building partnerships to
serve some of the world's poorest and least well served
people."
It is hoped that first Scottish volunteers under the new
scheme will be in Malawi by early 2006.
VSO is an International development charity that works
through volunteers. Since it was established in 1958 over
30,000 skilled professionals have shared their expertise
with colleagues in some of the world's poorest countries.
For information on volunteering with VSO visit
www.vso.org.uk or call
020 8780 7200. For more press information please call Leona
Daly at VSO on 0208 780 7265 or e-mail
Leona.daly@vso.org.uk
The Malawi Minister of Health has indicated it has a
particular need for volunteers with HIV/AIDS knowledge.
Malawi currently ranks 165 out of 177 countries in the most
recent Human Development Index and HIV/AIDS has contribute
to a reducing life expectancy which now stands at 37
years.
Malawi is hoping to roll out its Anti-Retroviral Therapy
(ART) to up to 45,000 patients by June 2005 and 80,000 by
December 2005, but the country only has 1.6 doctors per
100,000 population and 28.6 nurses. And current estimates
suggest that up to one million of the 12 million population
have HIV/AIDS,
The Dutch Reformed Church established Nkhoma Hospital,
to which the Nkhoma Nursing School is attached, in 1890.
Currently the hospital has only three doctors, no
anaesthesiologist and a severe shortage of nurses. VSO
volunteers have been sent to the Nursing School in response
to a shortfall in clinical instructors. The volunteers are
involved in the training of general as well as specialist
nurses, in particularly midwives, as the hospital performs
anywhere from 1500 -2,000 deliveries a year.