By Daniel Zimba:
A recent study by the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme (MLW) has found that 47 percent of adults admitted to central and district hospitals in Malawi suffer from two or more chronic illnesses, a condition that reportedly reduces survival chances.
The study’s lead investigator, Felix Limbani, told The Daily Times Wednesday that the research was conducted over the past three months to improve outcomes for high-risk patients in sub- Saharan Africa.
Limbani said the study, titled Multimorbidity- Associated Emergency Hospital Admissions: A ‘Screen and Link’, also found that hospital staff often focus only on the diseases reported by patients upon admission, overlooking other conditions the patients may be facing.
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He said the researchers are planning to present the findings to the Ministry of Health and Parliament.
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“We recommend improving the capacity to identify patients in hospitals. When patients arrive, healthcare workers may concentrate only on the primary conditions, but we suggest better screening to understand all conditions affecting a patient,” Limbani added.
He called for the government, particularly the Ministry of Health, to increase resources for the treatment and management of chronic diseases.
On the other hand, Limbani admitted that there is what he described as the common challenge of limited resources within the country’s healthcare system.
The study was conducted over three months at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and Chiradzulu District Hospital.
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It found that conditions such as tuberculosis, hypertension, HIV and Aids, kidney problems and cardiac conditions were common among patients, with some individuals suffering from as many as five conditions at the same time.
The research included 700 participants in Malawi and concluded that the more chronic conditions a patient has, the lower their chances of survival, with a total of 190 deaths recorded by the end of the study.
Geoffrey Salijeni, a senior official from Caring for Persons with Disabilities, a local organisation based in Blantyre, welcomed the preliminary findings, saying they could help improve healthcare support for high-risk patients if acted on by responsible stakeholders.
Salijeni, who also served on the Community Advisory Body for the study, praised MLW and other stakeholders for including all individuals, including those with disabilities, in the research.
He said in many hospitals, the focus is often on the conditions that patients report, while other chronic conditions are overlooked.
“These findings will help ensure that patients are fully examined and treated appropriately,” Salijeni said.
