The combined effects of famine and the HIV/AIDS epidemic have been devastating for the southeast African nation of Malawi. Millions lack access to adequate healthcare, and the country is home to nearly a million orphans and 90,000 AIDS-related deaths per year. In January of 2007, DGHE, Partners In Health (PIH) and the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) responded to this crisis by launching a project in the impoverished rural district of Neno, where the HIV infection rate among adults approaches 15%.

Led by DGHE Associate Physician and Hatch Scholar Dr. Keith Joseph, DGHE and PIH clinicians and staff, along with a team of Malawian nurses, were able to begin providing care for more than 100 patients a day and get more than 100 patients on HIV treatment within their first few months on the ground. Construction began on renovation of the existing district hospital, and a preliminary laboratory offering basic services got up and running.

Physicians from the DGHE/PIH sites in Haiti and Rwanda have joined the team in Malawi, bringing with them years of experience launching healthcare initiatives in resource-poor settings. Over time, the team will expand its services to eight regional health clinics.

The project was launched at the Neno Rural Hospital and has since expanded to 10 rural health centers. The project’s immediate catchment area has a population of 125,000, but in reality the project serves approximately 175,000 people, due to an ongoing influx of patients from other districts.