Kaporo’s 76,674 people and the cost of distance

For patients in Kaporo who need blood, accessing treatment can mean finding K7,000 for a one-way journey to Karonga District Hospital, a cost that can rise significantly when illness demands hiring a vehicle.

For families already struggling to make ends meet, the expense adds another burden to an already difficult situation, particularly when medical attention cannot wait.

Kaporo Rural Hospital serves 76,674 people, according to its facility in-charge, Martha Wandawanda. But when the facility’s blood bank refrigerator stopped functioning, patients needing blood had to be referred to Karonga District Hospital, exposing some families to the financial challenges of travelling longer distances for care.

“When patients run out of blood, we refer them to Karonga District Hospital. But for someone living in poverty in Malawi, finding transport money to get to Karonga has become very difficult,” said Wandawanda.

Although hospitals have ambulances to facilitate referrals, not every patient can rely on one. Some families have to pay for their own transport, while others travel directly from their villages to Karonga after realising that Kaporo may not have the equipment or services needed to treat their conditions.

The challenge is therefore not only the distance between the two hospitals, but also whether patients can afford to reach the care they need.

A recent intervention by SPARC Systems has helped address one of the problems at Kaporo Rural Hospital. The company repaired the hospital’s blood bank cold room and addressed electrical connections to the laboratory after identifying faults affecting the systems.

Wandawanda said the intervention had enabled the facility to resume providing blood services, potentially reducing the need for some patients to travel to Karonga.

She welcomed the support, saying it could ease difficulties faced by patients who previously had to seek blood services elsewhere.

The intervention also has a personal connection for SPARC Systems managing director Wisely Phiri, whose late mother worked as a midwife at Kaporo Rural Hospital.

Phiri said his visit was partly intended to honour her memory, but it also exposed other challenges affecting the facility.

He said the company had identified damaged water tanks and problems affecting maternity services, pledging to purchase replacement tanks and address some of the smaller issues within two to three weeks.

The water shortage is particularly significant because, according to Phiri, the hospital also supplies water to surrounding communities. Problems with its water infrastructure can therefore affect both healthcare services and people who depend on the facility for water.

Wandawanda said the hospital also needed improvements to maternity facilities, including better bathing arrangements for women.

While SPARC Systems’ intervention has helped restore blood services, the hospital’s remaining needs highlight the importance of maintaining essential infrastructure so that patients do not have to travel long distances because local services are unavailable.

For families in Kaporo, the hope is that the restored service will mean fewer costly journeys to Karonga when blood is needed. Whether that relief can be sustained will depend on the continued availability of blood, functioning equipment and the resources required to keep the service operating.