New private hospital opens in Blantyre along Mandala Road at Ginnery Corner
* To offer affordable and equitable healthcare services
A full scale healthcare facility, Atlas Medical Centre has been opened in Blantyre on Tuesday that is set to offer advanced and innovative healthcare technology.
Located along Mandala Road, just some 200m from the junction at Red Cross premises — and just after Al Taqwa Mosque at Ginnery Corner — Atlas Medical Centre shall offer affordable and equitable healthcare services that include general and specialist medical clinics.
The specialist clinics include paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology, hypertension, diabetes, nephrology (kidney) and general surgery.
It is also equipped to treat infectious diseases, stroke, thyroid as well as heart, lungs and gastro care.
Also on board are physiotherapy services, a walk in prescription-based pharmacy services and it has a diagnostic laboratory for detection of electrocardiogram (ECG), haematology & biochemistry, coagulation & inflammation markers, hormones and fertility, cardia arrests amongst many other services.
The state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratory is capable of conducting 100 different types of tests.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Managing Director, Dr. Parth Patel said Atlas Medical Centre was conceptualized entirely as a family dream to provide access to safe and quality health services to everyone “regardless of their name, fame of social standing”.
“As the World Health Organisation stresses on working with all its member states to strengthen primary health care, increase equitable access to services, reduce out of pocket spending and drive progress towards Universal Health Coverage, we at Atlas Medical Centre are committed to support the Ministry of Health through our efforts in the private sector to meet the goals.
“We are further committed to operational excellence in strict compliance with professional and ethical standards.”
He added that they will be open to receive feedback from the public “especially where they are unsatisfied with their service delivery and performance” in order to improve on the shortfalls and “ensure that the clinic environment is patient-friendly and comfortable”.
“Having been trained and worked as a doctor in Malawi, I have had the privilege to perform to my best abilities in several resource-strained situations.
“In as much as western media and social media posts add red flags to our healthcare situations, they often fail to recognise and underline the resilience of our healthcare systems and the innovative capacity it builds within our healthcare workers.
“Through our training and teachings, we are exceptionally positioned to provide dynamic healthcare services to patients in need. Even under the most distressful conditions, our abilities are to improvise and adapt to remain unsurpassed.”
Dr. Patel took cognizance that such work ethics amongst healthcare workers is a “product of years of perseverance” of the senior doctor trainers who have groomed medical practitioners “into self-sufficient and confident healthcare professionals”.
After been taken on tour of the hospital, guest honour, Blantyre City Deputy Mayor, Councillor Joseph Makwinja said he was delighted that “this hospital will radically improve the quality service and infrastructure for patients”.
“Atlas Medical Centre will be of great benefit to the local community both in terms of the medical services as well as the employment opportunities that it will offer.
“To set up a medical facility of this kind is no mean achievement. We are today witnessing the effort and achievement of the Patel family but which will touch many lives in our city and beyond.”
He congratulated the Patel family for “investing in serving and saving the lives of Malawians and we look forward to reaping the fruits in terms of efficiency, client satisfaction and better patient relations”.
Also present was Chief of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Queen Dube, also applauded the Patel family for deciding to invest in the medical industry, saying this is in line with what government strives to achieve that there should be access to equitable health services after every 5kms.
“Government alone cannot manage to cover all areas, it is up to the private sector to come in and fill the gaps.”
She said the private sector swiftly moved in to help the government in the fight against CoVID-19 through various interventions but it High time if invested in the healthcare services just as the Patel family has done.
“In the long run such medical facilities will be used to train more healthcare workers. I want to many young nurses going through Atlas Medical Centre for their clinicals during their studies,” she said.
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