The surgery theatre at the Centre
* Offers out-patients services; in-patients admissions; maternity delivery; surgeries; radiology; ultra scans and physiotherapy etc
* It is time for Malawians to come together and provide affordable healthcare provision—Njawala
* Royal Medical Centre’s objective is not for profitability but offer the best services at a reasonable rate
* Funded by National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Development Bank Limited
By Duncan Mlanjira
Opened to the public on April 6, 2022, Royal Medical Centre is a new hospital in Blantyre that is offering 24-hour ‘Wholesale Healing’ — which is the motto of this healthcare service provider.
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The state-of-the-art hospital — situated along the Independence Drive (road to Sanjika Palace just after MultiChoice offices) is indeed offering ‘Wholesale Healing’ — that include out-patients; in-patients admissions; maternity delivery; surgeries; radiology; ultra scans and physiotherapy
Royal Medical Centre is also offering intestinal scans to detect ulcers and other cancers; scans for diabetes; a well stocked pharmacy; ambulance services and will soon roll out X-ray and ICU services once it earns an approval from the medical authorities.
It is also set to organize outreach clinics for under-5 children to help Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) to efficiently administer vaccines and also to offer health education — which the hospital will also be administering at the Centre for free.
The Centre is also set to encourage people to access regular full medical check up service in order to detect any defect they might not have, saying many cases of cancer are identified in late stages after damage had already been done.
Dr. Kalongolera during the official opening
This, according to the Centre’s Medical Director and shareholder, Dr. Lughano Kalongolera, is the same as motorists take care of their cars through regular services, saying they are set to inculcate a culture of leading a healthy lifestyle first to avert ailments.
He disclosed that the initiative to establish such a ‘Wholesale Healing’ centre was mooted by four people — Kalongolera himself; Dr. Samuel Kondwani; Honest Chirwa and former Member of Parliament for Blantyre Kabula, Felix Njawala — “working as a formidable team”.
Formidable team of directors pose with Medical Council of Malawi Registrar, Dr. David Zolowere (in blue)
They engaged National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Development Bank Limited, which they impressed with a sound business plan that won its heart to inject the huge investment into the project.
Thus Kalongolera applauded NBM Development Bank Limited for trusting in their business plan, saying they positively responded to calls by the government to the private sector to contribute towards the health sector in line with MW2063 agenda.
He also took cognizance of the role played by Medical Council of Malawi, medical insurance schemes and made special mention of a pharmaceutical company, Galaxy, which gave them a huge loan to procure medicines to be paid after 90 days.
Galaxy also donated 100 boxes of special medicine as its contribution towards the investment as provided through NBM Development Bank.
In his remarks, Njawala said it was time for Malawians to come together and provide affordable healthcare provision to suit the pockets of all Malawians, attesting that Royal Medical Centre’s objective is not for profitability but offer the best services at a reasonable rate.
“I assure the public that they would come out of this hospital with some change from the budget they anticipated, because the charges for our services are very low.
Board Director Felix Njawala
“We are offering stately services so that patients should not feel that they are in a hospital but in a ‘royal’ institution whose medical staff are well trained and giving their patients all the care and love they deserve.”
Njawala observed that Malawi has many doctors and nurses but few institutions to employ them that forces them to relocate to other countries where they are able to practice their specialties.
“There have been many Malawians who have been referred abroad for specialty medical attention in India or South Africa, only to find a fellow Malawian treating them there.
“It’s because there aren’t many opportunities for them to practice here. If we collaborate to establish more of such huge investments such as Royal Medical Centre, we wouldn’t have the rising cases of brain drain in the medical sector.
The Centre has already employed 30 members of staff
“We cannot just wait for the government, but we can collaborate as the private sector to fill in the gaps, with other investors such as we identified through NBM Development Bank.”
In his vote of confidence at the official opening on Thursday, Medical Council of Malawi Registrar, Dr. David Zolowere said Royal Medical Centre far exceeded the medical regulator’s minimum requirement, saying the investiment is what the private sector should emulate if Malawi is to attain a healthy society.
He said the country’s population is growing exponentially and there was the need to increase access to affordable health care, saying doing so would be a great service to the nation.
Also present was Dr. Zaziwe Gunda, Blantyre District medical officer who represented the DHO, who said Royal Medical Centre has offered to be a referral for some special cases which Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital cannot immediately handle.
He also said the DHO would collaborate with the Centre in its outreach programme to assist in delivering cholera vaccines.
He assured the public that in the team led by Kalongolera, they would be assured of quality services, saying the hospital’s Medical Director does not compromise in his delivery of healthcare services.
Kalongolera was described as self-motivated and reliable team worker always willing to go an extra mile. His core competencies include staff leadership/development; ward management; in-patients management including pre-operative and post-operative care of elective procedures like oesophagectomies, nephrectomies, prostatectomies and others.
He also attributed having special management of critically ill patients plus resuscitation of dehydrated patients; assessing ward and ICU patients for suitability of dialysis; OPD work that includes running clinics and taking biopsies.
He is also competent in both upper and lower endoscopy, saying: “I do therapeutic and diagnostic endoscopy e.g. oesophageal varices banding, stenting in oesophageal cancers and biopsies of oesophageal tumours.
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His professional qualifications are:
1. 2014: Fellow of College of Surgeons for East Central and Southern Africa(FCS-ECSA)
2. 2014: Mmed General Surgery, University of Malawi
3. 2013: MSc Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
4. 2012: Post Graduate Diploma in Essential Surgical Sciences (ESSQ), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
5. 2011: Membership of the College of Surgeons for East Central and Southern Africa {MCS}(ECSA)
6. 2011: Postgraduate certificate in Essential Surgical Sciences (ESSQ), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
7. 2002: MBBS, University of Malawi with credits in surgery, Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology
He is also an award winner — William Samarji award for being the most outstanding student in surgery in MBBS finals (2004) and George Liomba Award for being the best overall student in Pathology (2001).
