Zambia (MNN) — CURE Zambia has opened a new facility to care for the
ears, noses, and throats of children and adults. At least 150 people–including local media and
Zambian officials–attended the ribbon cutting of the Institute of ENT and
Audiology. The Institute is focused especially
on providing care for hearing impairments.
The Institute will promote medical training and research in order to
raise the level of care in the country as a whole. Its goal is to treat at least 1500 patients
every month. A mobile clinic has also
begun to bring medical care and spiritual counseling available to families in
more remote communities.
Dr. Siakanthu, director of clinical care and diagnostic services for
the Zambian Ministry of Health, served as the keynote speaker at the ribbon
cutting. He pledged that the Ministry of
Health will support CURE Zambia in its work on addressing the problem of
hearing impairment.
German ambassador Jennifer Coyne and Irish ambassador Tony Cotter also
spoke at the event, as well as representatives from ENT for Zambia and the
Christian Blind Mission. In addition, some
parents of CURE patients entertained the audience with music.
Following the proceedings, executive director of CURE Zambia Peter
Kyalo led the audience inside for the ribbon cutting. The guests were then invited to tour the facilities.
The mobile clinic performs an important service for the people
of Zambia, because families with disabled children often receive very little
support from their communities. In a
recent trip, the mobile clinic treated 144 patients in four towns over a period
of two days. 26 of these patients will
need to come to CURE Zambia for surgery.
The patients ranged in age from 7 months to 77 years. The purpose of the clinic was to address
orthopedic issues, but it served people with other conditions as well. Some of the saddest cases were mothers
who brought in children who had contracted cerebral palsy.
Most of these cases would have been preventable with better access to
medical care. The children's cerebral
palsy had developed from cerebral malaria, an aggressive form of malaria that
attacks the brain. The damage could most
likely have been reduced if the children had had easier access to a
hospital.
Lord willing, tens of thousands of patients will receive care at the
new Institute and mobile clinic in the months to come. Your support can help make that happen. Pray for many people to receive not only physical
healing, but also spiritual healing through this ministry.
