Returning to Malawi in April this year was a truly meaningful experience following my last visit in August 2025. Having been there just a couple of months ago, I arrived with a better understanding of the healthcare challenges faced by many local communities. However this deployment deepened my appreciation for the resilience, dedication, and determination of the healthcare workers who work tirelessly every day to overcome the challenges and provide care to serve communities in need.
Inside Malawi's Health Facilities
During the deployment, I travelled across Blantyre, Mangochi, and Lilongwe to meet with healthcare workers, facility managers, communities, and our team on ground. As a significant part of this deployment involved working alongside our partners and their leadership teams, we spent time discussing priorities, future plans, monitoring systems, and ways to strengthen long-term sustainability. These conversations were incredibly valuable, not only because they highlighted the progress that has already been made, but also reinforced the importance of investing in local leadership and systems that can continue to promote growth and sustain independently.
At the healthcare facilities, we assessed maternity and emergency obstetric care services and found that in many facilities, staff were working with shortages of medicines, limited equipment, inadequate infrastructure, and workforce constraints.
The Heart of Maternal Healthcare
The dedication of the staff working in the maternity department particularly stood out to me most. Every day, they face difficult circumstances while carrying the immense responsibility of caring for mothers and newborns. Yet despite the challenges, they continue to provide care with compassion, professionalism, and determination. Their commitment to ensuring safe deliveries and quality care, often with very limited resources, was truly humbling to witness.
Seeing their work firsthand also reminded me of the wider challenges facing Malawi's healthcare system. While the country has made encouraging progress in reducing maternal mortality over recent years, many healthcare facilities continue to struggle with shortages of staff, medicines, equipment, and infrastructure.
Too many women still face risks during pregnancy and childbirth, particularly in rural communities with limited access to emergency obstetric care. But witnessing the resilience of the healthcare workers to continue to provide compassionate care despite these challenges was truly admirable. Their dedication gave me hope that through continued investment in training, resources, and local leadership, further improvements in maternal and newborn health can be achieved.
I found similar experiences in my visits to health facilities across Blantyre, Mangochi and surrounding areas as well. They have health facilities that were already serving as vital lifelines for their communities, and strengthening their capacity could play an important role in improving maternal and newborn health outcomes across the country.
Strengthening Malawi's Health System
The deployment also provided an opportunity to discuss future initiatives and explore ways to continue strengthening maternal healthcare services across Malawi. One of the highlights was reflecting on the BEmONC training delivered by Doctors Worldwide in August 2025, which brought together 40 front line healthcare professionals trained from both government and private health facilities from different regions in Malawi.
The training was led by a multidisciplinary team comprising two local obstetric specialists, two obstetricians and gynaecologists from the UK, one UK General Practitioner. It was encouraging to hear how participants valued the training and applied the knowledge gained to support the management of obstetric and neonatal emergencies within their own facilities.
Building on Resilience
We also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Malawi’s Ministry of Health which reinforced the importance of continued investment in training and capacity building. There was a shared recognition that improving maternal and newborn health outcomes requires more than equipment and infrastructure alone. It also needs supporting healthcare workers with the skills, confidence, and support they need to provide quality care. These discussions highlighted the importance of partnership, collaboration, and local leadership in creating sustainable and lasting improvements within Malawi's healthcare system.
As with many deployments, the journey itself told its own story. Long drives on challenging roads, flooded areas, and visits to remote facilities offered a reminder of the daily realities faced by both healthcare workers and patients. What might seem like a simple trip to a health facility can be a significant challenge for many families, particularly in rural areas.
Despite the challenges, what I will remember most from this deployment is the warmth and hospitality of the people we met. Everywhere I travelled, we were welcomed with kindness, and a genuine desire to work together to improve healthcare services. Those interactions reminded me that lasting change is built through trust, relationships, and shared goals.
Looking Ahead
The deployment was not just about assessing facilities or reviewing programmes. It was about listening, learning, building connections, and understanding how we can better support locally-led programmes. It reinforced my belief that sustainable healthcare improvements come from building the capacity of local leaders and healthcare professionals who know their communities best.
I am incredibly grateful to our partners, healthcare workers, facility management teams, and all stakeholders whose dedication, collaboration and support made this journey possible.
Written by:
Sayeed Ahmad
Project Coordinator, Doctors Worldwide
