Macha Mission Hospital, located in the Southern Province of Zambia, stands as a beacon of healthcare for approximately 160,000 Nationals. It is situated 40 miles west of Chomas on the Namwala Road.
Location of Macha Mission Hospital in Southern Zambia
The hospital has an excellent reputation throughout Southern Zambia, with many patients coming from afar for treatment. The Zambian Brethren in Christ (BIC) Church operates the Hospital, which opened in 1957 and has grown to a 208-bed facility with a full range of services. Macha Mission Hospital is a moderately equipped rural hospital, setting a high standard for medical care in low-resource settings.
Historical Context
Macha Mission began as a Christian mission station in 1906. Hannah Frances Davidson, an American missionary from the Brethren in Christ (BIC) church, traveled there from Matopo Mission in Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe). Davidson and her companions subsequently embarked on the task of converting local Tonga and Ila peoples to Christianity. In the 1950s the medical mission of the site greatly expanded due to the presence of Alvan Thuma, a physician and BIC missionary from the United States, and his wife Ardys. The mission became the anchor for later Brethren in Christ mission work in Southern Zambia with missionaries expanding to Sikalongo and to Choma. The mission continues to function currently.
Services and Facilities
Macha is a 208-bed hospital with medical and surgical services. This 208-bed acute care hospital includes a comprehensive community health program, outpatient clinic system, and nurse’s training school.
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The hospital comprises:
- Two adult wards (one male, one female) with a total of 94 beds.
- A separate inpatient TB ward with 24 beds.
- A pediatrics ward with 60 beds.
- Four delivery room suites totaling 30 beds.
- Operating rooms for major surgeries.
- An outpatient clinic that services 120 patients per day.
Inpatients services include non-contrast radiology, ultrasound, and a clinical laboratory providing basic studies. About 200 babies are born each month at Macha Mission Hospital.
Addressing the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Under John’s supervision, Macha Mission Hospital’s medical team has addressed one of the greatest epidemics of the 20th and 21th century - AIDS. In 1986, the first diagnosis of a patient with AIDS was made at Macha Mission Hospital. By 2001, 20 percent of the Zambian population had contracted the fatal disease. At the height of the AIDS crisis in Macha, John read an article discussing how to eliminate diseases through universal testing and treating all HIV-positive patients.
In 2005, Macha Mission Hospital opened an antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic - which John facilitated - providing free treatment to those with HIV, the virus leading to AIDS. Since 2005, more than 11,000 HIV patients have been enrolled in the ART Clinic. Beyond aiding HIV patients, antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) also help prevent patients from transmitting HIV to partners and children. For example, John and his medical team have been providing treatment to HIV-positive pregnant women.
In response Macha Mission Hospital has undertaken a strategic approach to mitigate the devastation caused by this disease. In 2005 the hospital opened an antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic that today manages therapy for over 6000 HIV patients. INMED students may participate in health education efforts, management of ART, treating HIV complications, prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), and end of life care.
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Key Personnel and Their Contributions
Dr. John and Esther Spurrier
For nearly three decades, Dr. John and Esther Spurrier faithfully served overseas. A year after arriving at Macha, the Spurriers welcomed Dr. Conversant in Tonga, the regional tribal language, Esther and John participate in the local church and life of the village. The Spurriers were grateful to be part of the social changes that came after Zambia’s independence, changes that challenged previous practices.
Chief medical officer at the hospital, John would yearly oversee 30,000 patient visits, 5,000 admissions, 2,000 newborn deliveries, and 1,200 operations.
Phil and Elaine Thuma
Having grown up Zambia, Africa, the son of a missionary physician, Phil Thuma never imagined following in his father’s footsteps. During these two years of voluntary service, Phil spent countless hours caring for locals and digging into data at Macha Mission Hospital, a 208-bed acute care hospital that his father helped build in the ’50s.
“John started to have a burden to recruit young Zambian professionals,” said Phil Thuma. As a result, the number of Christian senior medical staff has gradually increased over the years. And because of their unique partnership, John and Phil, who are quite different in temperament, were able to complement one another to best serve the Zambian population.
Dr. Mark Roth
The medical Director is Mark Roth, a general surgeon.
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Macha Research Trust
Associated with the hospital is the Macha Research Trust, one of three research facilities in Zambia mainly focusing on malaria, HIV and TB. Long term ongoing research in malaria got a boost early 2003, with the establishment of a formal malaria research centre. The Malaria Institute at Macha (MIAM) collaborates with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to do continuing research in malaria and related diseases. Proactive, preventative measures are the greatest tools in stopping new infections.
Community Impact
Macha Mission Hospital serves a local population of about 150,000 in its catchment area, which in some directions can extend well over 100 km to the next closest medical facility. People of the Tonga tribe populate the area, living in small homesteads. Maize is the main crop grown and the staple diet supplemented with peanut, sweet potatoes and other leafy green vegetables as relish. Most farmers in the area own, cattle, which are sold for cash and provide milk to their diet. Cattle also provide drawing power on the farms.
Diseases such as neonatal tetanus, leprosy, measles, trachoma, schistosomiasis, and malaria have been eradicated or greatly reduced among the 160,000 people served by Macha Mission Hospital.
Challenges and Ongoing Needs
As the hospital approaches its 70th anniversary, many buildings are showing their age, and several major renovations were completed in 2023. Supporting medical care that extends beyond the walls of the hospital, this project also funded maintenance and repairs to the hospital’s ambulance and Land Cruiser; the biggest update during 2023 was a new gear box for the ambulance. The two hospital vehicles enable community outreach for HIV, well baby checks, immunizations, and transport related to the eye clinic.
Macha’s water system has struggled to keep up with the hospital’s growing needs, and $24,027 was used during 2023 to upgrade many failing pumps and replace old asbestos pipes with new GI and PVC piping.
Clinical Exposure
Since 1980, medical students and residents from the USA, Canada, England and the Netherlands, as well as Zambia’s own medical school, have been studying at Macha. Medical students and resident physicians at Macha are expected to make regular rounds on the assigned ward with the staff doctors, see outpatients in the clinics both mornings and afternoons, and assist in the operating theatre twice weekly. While direct supervision is available at all times from the staff doctors, students and residents are encouraged to take responsibility for patient care as assigned. They are placed on the on-call schedule, including nights and weekends, with a staff doctor on duty and always available.
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Table: Macha Mission Hospital Key Statistics
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 208 |
| Outpatient Visits (2023) | 30,000+ |
| Admissions (2023) | 7,000+ |
| Deliveries (2023) | 2,000+ |
| HIV Patients in ART Clinic | 11,000+ |
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