Prayer Focus - Week Commencing 14th August 2011

August 12, 2011 - 12:11

David Gordon Memorial Hospital (DGMH), Livingstonia, Malawi

On Saturday 20 August, DGMH in Livingstonia will celebrate a centenary of medical care for the local community. Praise God for this powerful witness to His love in action.
Give thanks for the vision of Dr Robert Laws, who oversaw the planning and construction of DGMH, for the generous gift made in his memory by David Gordon’s sisters and the sheer determination that enabled this vision to become a reality.
Praise God that the staff team at DGMH today is as committed as ever to reaching the community they serve with the Gospel as well as with essential medical and community health services.
Mr Penjani Sichinga, Medical Officer In-charge, writes that the first caesarean operation in Africa was performed at DGMH. Last year, 172 of the 709 deliveries in the hospital’s maternity ward were by caesarian section. Give thanks for the skills of doctors and midwives who have the joy of bringing new life to birth and pray the Lord’s blessing on all mothers and their newborns.
This year the rainy season in Malawi continued for six weeks beyond its normal cycle, providing perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes. Inevitably, this led to an increase in the incidence of malaria, which put greater pressure on the hospitals – especially within the maternity and children’s wards. Praise God that, as part of its Malaria Control and Prevention Programme, DGMH was able to distribute thousands of free insecticide-treated nets to babies and pregnant women.