Beyond the call of duty

In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, 160,000 people have a visual impairment due to cataract, and 52,800 of these are blind. Consider that the country has only around 60 Ophthalmic Clinical Officers (OCOs) and you’ll get some idea of the challenges facing these hard-working people to assess, diagnose and treat thousands of Malawians in desperate need of help.

madalitso

Madalitso Nyangulu (known as Mada) is the only OCO at Mwanza District Hospital. He single-handedly runs the outpatient clinic, where he treats eye conditions with medication and carries out minor surgeries. Conditions are poor. The room he works from is small, there’s no separate surgery room and he badly needs more medical supplies and personnel to assist with his workload.

RURAL OUTREACH

Once a week, Mada travels to isolated areas to hold outreach clinics, where he sees patients suffering from cataract, glaucoma and other eye conditions. This weekly journey is incredibly important – not only does it mean he can assess people who lack the means to visit the district hospital themselves, but it allows him to educate villagers in the importance of eye care and explain to them the complications that can arise from using traditional Malawian eye medication.

A challenging Trek

The obstacles facing Mada in reaching these rural communities can’t be underestimated. He loads his motorbike with medication and eye screening equipment, then heads up into the Thambani ranges. It’s slow going over steep, rocky roads, and he often needs to abandon his vehicle to finish the journey on foot. To reach one village in particular, he has to remove his shoes and walk through a river (there is no bridge), then climb hills to reach his destination. In the rainy season, the roads are impassable and the river too full to deliver any services to this area at all.

Diagnosis is just the first step. For many people, barriers of transport and cost can make accessing health services impossible. Journeys to the nearest eye clinic on foot over bumpy terrain can be very slow and difficult, and while there are sometimes public transport options available (like motorbike taxis) they often cost far more than people can afford. Mada and the volunteers he works with help by bringing patients to the hospital when they can. Mada also teaches basic eye care to volunteers in hard-to-reach areas, but despite this lightening his workload a bit, it remains enormous.

winesi march

It was on an outreach visit to the tiny village of Kalima that Mada first met Winesi, a 69-year-old man who has been completely blind for two years due to cataracts in both eyes. Since losing his sight, he struggles to do anything without the help of his family, and his loss of independence makes him feel scared and helpless. His wife, Namaleta, shoulders the responsibility of both the farming work and looking after the children. When Mada first examined Winesi, he advised him to visit the hospital for screening, but the journey was impossible as Namaleta was ill, and Winesi was reliant on her to guide him and couldn’t manage by himself. It was a huge disappointment, but Winesi’s luck is about to change – he’s finally getting the operation that will restore his sight

a million miracles

To kick off Sightsavers’ A Million Miracles appeal, Winesi will undergo cataract surgery in order to fully restore his sight. On Wednesday 8 October at 1.30pm, the operation will be broadcast live from Malawi on Google+ and at www.millionmiracles.org. The next day, you’ll be able to see the moment Winesi’s bandages are removed and if all goes well, witness the moment when he sees his 18-month-old grandson for the first time.

It’ll be a proud day for Mada; it’s thanks to him that Winesi’s cataracts were diagnosed, and it’s thanks to donations from people like you that people like Mada are making such a difference in Malawi. “If Sightsavers wasn’t here to support us, we would be much further behind in terms of eye care services,” says Mada. “Sightsavers provides the motorbike, the equipment, training for me, training for surgeons. If Sightsavers wasn’t here, we would have less than 10 eye care professionals in the country. But now each year, a new OCO is trained in Malawi. There is much to do. My work keeps me busy, but it makes me feel good.”