GAIA celebrated the first few weeks of mobile clinic operation in Nsanje District with a launch event attended by local officials, a delegation from the Ministry of Health (all the way from Lilongwe!), GAIA representatives, and a host of grateful residents.  The event was covered by Malawian news outlets in both the print press and on TV, and featured comments by GAIA Malawi Board Chair Dorothy Zimba.

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Addressing the assembled crowd, the head of the Ministry’s delegation, Ethel Kapyepye (Director of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood), underscored the unique and critical collaboration with government that allows GAIA’s mobile clinic program to grow: “The government has plans to ensure that everyone has access to health services and one of the strategies is the mobile clinics, as we have seen today, which we do in partnership.”

Local officials heralded the arrival of the clinics, noting that their weekly arrival was a critical step towards full-time universal primary care in their communities. Demand for the services has been robust, with more than 4,000 sick patients served, with attendance growing by the day. 

Congrats GAIA!  Congrats Ministry of Health!