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11 November 2024

St Michael's team self-fund trip to sister Hospice in Tanzania

Terminally ill residents in remote region of Tanzania, East Africa receiving expert care thanks to the Herefordshire-based charity Muheza Hospice Care

Terminally ill residents in remote region of Tanzania, East Africa receiving expert care thanks to the Herefordshire-based charity Muheza Hospice Care

An ever-increasing number of people living with terminal illness in a remote area of east Africa are receiving expert care and support thanks to the generosity of a Herefordshire charity.

Muheza Hospice Care was set-up more than two decades ago by Doctors Karilyn and Richard Collins – a husband and wife from Herefordshire – to help residents in a number of rural communities in northern Tanzania.

The Hospice, which cares for patients at St Augustine’s Hospital in the small town of Muheza, as well as in their own homes, is the sister hospice of St Michael’s in Bartestree, Herefordshire and costs around £50,000 a year to run.

It is largely financed by individual contributions through the Hereford Muheza Link Society. It was originally funded by the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which closed in 2012.

A five-strong group from St Michael’s has just returned from a two-week self-funded trip to Tanzania, spending time shadowing the clinical teams at Muheza Hospice and St Augustine’s, and developing a knowledge of palliative care provision in the third world.

“What we witnessed during our trip to Muheza was a group of talented, dedicated professionals working wonders in their community,” said Dr Jim Burtonwood, the Lead Specialist Doctor at St Michael’s.

“In that respect, it is very similar to life back home at St Michael’s. Where it differs though, is when it comes to things we take for granted.

“Things like a consistent supply of vital drugs; tarmacked roads, and basic training opportunities to enhance learning and understanding.”

The St Michael’s team saw first-hand the task facing the palliative care team based at St Augustine’s, but it was also witness to a number of projects providing hope.

One morning, dozens of women from Muheza and beyond attended the hospital to receive free screening for breast and cervical cancer – a vital procedure in early detection.

Then, as the weekend arrives, so do the children who gather on a Saturday morning for Kids’ Club. They are all living with HIV, born to mothers with the same disease, but at Kids’ Club, you wouldn’t know. Happiness, laughter and mischief abound, whether it’s from a game of volleyball, or a board game with friends.

There is a serious element, too. A nurse reminds them all of the importance of taking their antiretrovirals regularly, and of looking after one another.

The future for the children who attend is uncertain, but the positive effect Muheza Hospice Care is having on its community is evident.

Likewise, a Mothers’ Club which began almost 20 years ago as part of a Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV programme has proved so successful that in the last six years, all babies born at the hospital to mothers with HIV, are free of the virus.

Muheza Hospice Care is totally reliant on donations to maintain the growing care it provides.

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