The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A Fife veterinary team visited Malawi and left behind what is probably central Africa’s best-equipped vets’ practice.
A Fife veterinary team visited impoverished Malawi – “differences in animal care between the two countries could hardly be more extreme” – and left behind what is probably central Africa’s best-equipped vets’ practice. Leeza Clark reports.
WITHA population of 14 million, Malawi has only nine registered vets. Inglis Veterinary Practice, which has a 24-hour animal hospital in Dunfermline and surgeries in Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing and Kinross, has 16. That stark fact was enough to mobilise a hit squad of west Fife veterinary experts to the impoverished African country.
Carrying out what is believed to be the first-ever X-ray on a pet in Malawi’s history and coming face-to-face with a one-eyed lion – the team did it all in the course of an action packed nine-day mercy mission.
The end result of the Inglis visit is the transformation of a fairly rudimentary set-up into probably the best-equipped vets’ practice in central Africa.
Inglis veterinary director adam tjolle said: “The differences in animal care between the two countries could hardly be more extreme. Hopefully, our modest efforts have made a small contribution to closing the gap.”
Adam, along with veterinary nurses Louise Stewart and Audrey Kelly and engineer Mark Palmer, flew to Malawi earlier this month to turn Lilongwe SPCA’S centre into a state-ofthe-art vets’ practice, installing equipment and training staff.
They took with them some kit from their own hospital and materials and tools donated by local companies to install veterinary equipment which had been donated to the Lilongwe centre by the RSPCA in England.
“It was the experience of a lifetime,” said Louise. “We worked hard, often from 6am to 10pm, but it was hugely rewarding and something I’ll never forget.”
They returned to their comfortable Fife base with one over-riding emotion – humility.
“Malawi is clearly a country which is not without its difficulties,” said adam. “It’s obviously impoverished, there is a massive issue with HIV/AIDS and the average life expectancy is just 42.
“Yet everyone we met during our amazing time was friendly and very welcoming. They were so appreciative, not only for what we were doing at Lilongwe SPCA but for every smile, handshake and conversation.”
In recent years, the Scotland Malawi Partnership has strengthened long-established ties, and it was obvious during the team’s short time there that Scotland means so much to Malawians.
Adam explained: “The Americans and Chinese are putting money into Malawi, and that’s important, but it’s Scots on the ground really engaging with the country and its people. It’s a very special relationship that’s highly valued there.”
Now staff at Inglis are planning to seal their own new relationship with Malawi by twinning their practice with Lilongwe SPCA. Vets and nurses from Inglis will pay regular visits to the Lilongwe centre.
“Richard Ssuna, the remarkable Ugandan vet who runs the Lilongwe centre, will be coming to Dunfermline in September and we’ll formalise our twinning relationship then,” said Adam. “Later in the year, we’ll send another small team to Malawi to make sure everything’s going according to plan.”
The practice’s fees from those who can afford to pay will fund work like rabies vaccinations and microchipping programmes, tackling problems such as the illegal roadside selling of kittens and puppies and educational projects.
“There is a huge number of untreated animals in Malawi simply because people generally don’t have enough money to feed them or look after them properly. People hadn’t taken their animals to the vets because previously they hadn’t had adequate facilities to treat them fully.
“Only now does Lilongwe SPCA, one of very few veterinary units in the country, have oxygen which is necessary for operating under anaesthetic and X-ray equipment; things we take for granted in vets’ surgeries in this country.”
Much of the work involved getting the Lilongwe centre fitted out. Mark installed electrical equipment to ensure that the practice could cope with the lengthy power cuts which occur on a daily basis, while Adam and the two nurses found themselves using DIY skills they didn’t know they had. The X-ray machine was set up and a dark room created and the surgery lay-out was reconfigured to provide an operations room, consulting areas and reception.
They also trained staff in everything from answering the telephone in a professional manner to how to work the very latest veterinary equipment.
There was veterinary work to do too – treating baboons, a monkey and a serval cat with cataracts, and on the day they left they did what’s believed to be Malawi’s first pet X-ray, on an animal which had been hit by a car.
In Malawi, Adam explained, people tend to turn their car lights off to save fuel, leading to a high accident rate.
Audrey visited a local orphanage, where her gifts of football strips were warmly received.
The team allowed themselves one day off when they visited a nature reserve and got to stroke a “friendly” one-eyed lion.
“It’s a fantastic country where tourism has not taken off yet. If it does, I’m sure visitors will leave with great memories of an amazing people. They made us feel at home and I look forward to welcoming some of them to Fife in the months and years to come.”
“Americans and Chinese are putting in money, but it’s Scots on the ground who are really engaging with the people.” Adam Tjolle