Madonna proud of Mercy James Centre
American pop star Madonna says she is proud of the services offered at the Mercy James Centre for Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre which she funded through her charity.
The pop star showered her praises yesterday after touring the facility named after one of her adopted Malawian children, Mercy James, as part of the centre’s first anniversary commemoration.
Said Madonna: “It is amazing that a lot more lives have been saved, and that makes all the difference. There was a time in Malawi when there was no intensive care unit for children. So, it means a lot to me that we have been functioning well.”
She said it was good to see that the centre has become a model for innovative medical procedures, not only in Malawi but also in the world where doctors are performing surgeries that are not common anywhere.
Said Madonna: “I am glad that I have met the parents of the conjoined twins who were separated here. I met the mom and the aunt. I gave them hugs. They have been through a lot, but now we are hopeful that the babies will be fine.”
In June this year, paediatric surgeon Eric Borgstein led a team of surgeons to separate the conjoined twins.
The twins—boys aged four and a half months at the time—were referred to the facility from Balaka District Hospital in early March this year, but could not undergo the operation because they were too young at the time.
After touring the new unit, which was officially opened on July 11 last year, the pop star said she could see a difference as there is no longer a long waiting list of children for surgeries.
“Before this centre, we did not have the equipment and the resources. The coming in of the centre makes all the difference,” she said.
QECH director Andrew Gonani said the new centre’s technology and equipment has exceeded their expectations as a hospital and it has become a model of excellence.
He said: “Most importantly, our patients and their families continue to share positive feedback about the staff and their dedication to excellent patient care.”
Madonna, who was accompanied by all her children Lourdes and Rocco, as well as her adopted Malawians David, Mercy, Stella and Esther, toured the hospital, met children and families who have benefitted from the centre as well as members of staff.
Since its inception, the Mercy James Centre for Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care Unit has performed 1 690 paediatric surgeries, admitted 30 patients in its ICU, seen 2 300 patients in the outpatient clinic and admitted nearly 1 500 patients into its wards.
Madonna’s charity, Raising Malawi, built and donated the two-storey, free standing building to QECH and continues to work with the Ministry of Health to help support its operations.
Madonna founded Raising Malawi in 2006 to address the poverty and hardships endured by Malawi’s orphans and vulnerable children.
The charity partners local organisations to provide Malawian children and their caregivers with critical resources including education and medical care.n
