Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
15°48′11″N 35°01′01″W / 15.803°N 35.017°W
| Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Christina Mbiza, Nursing Officer at the hospital | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi |
| Organisation | |
| Type | District General, Teaching |
| Kamuzu University of Health Sciences | |
| Services | |
| Yes | |
| Beds | 1,350 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Malawi |
The Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, is a tertiary referral and teaching hospital in Malawi, situated in Blantyre. It provides care to the surrounding district hospitals, health clinics, and private medical facilities. Officially, the hospital has 1,350 beds available.[1][2][3]
History
In 1958, the hospital was given its name in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.[4]
When her child was about to be born in 1961 Ceciwa Khonje was taken to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. Khonje's white neighbour, who was also about to deliver, was taken to the delivery ward, but Khonje was left in reception, because she was black. Her brother, Dr Harry Bwanausi, joined Khonje's protests as he was a doctor at the hospital. Their protests were successful and she was taken to the "whites only" delivery ward. Her victory created a precedent for those who followed her.[5]
Prior to 2017 the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital had less than ten intensive care beds.[6] The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care opened in June 2017, with an official opening in the following month. It was built as the result of a partnership between the Malawian Ministry of Health and Raising Malawi, a charity created by Madonna. Madonna has adopted four Malawian children, one of whom is Mercy James, the namesake of this unit.[7] The institute serves as a teaching facility for Malawian pediatric surgeons.[6]
In 2024 it was noted that the hospital was delivering with limited resources to an area with high needs. Twenty or thirty surgical operations were made every day. American medical staff from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School have an exchange with QECH staff so that they can experience this type of medical delivery.[8]
Staff
Madalitso Baloyi, who became the Minister of Health and Sanitation in 2025, began her career at this hospital.[9]
References
- ↑ Gadama Y, Kamtchum-Tatuene J, Benjamin L, Phiri T, Mwandumba HC (December 2019). "The significant gap between international standards and stroke management practices at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Malawi): An audit report". Malawi Medical Journal. 31 (4): 249–255. doi:10.4314/mmj.v31i4.6. PMC 7036432. PMID 32128035.
- ↑ "Welcome". Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
- ↑ "About Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme | Gateways | Wellcome Open Research". wellcomeopenresearch.org. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
- ↑ "Message of condolence to the British Royal Family, our partners and colleagues, and the people of the United Kingdom on the passing of Her Majesty The Queen". Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program. 2022-09-12. Archived from the original on 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
- ↑ "Leading Ladies S03 E01 - Dinah Ceciwa Bwanausi Khonje". YouTube (Women Museum Zambia). Women Museum Zambia. 2021.
- 1 2 "Mercy James Institute of Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care". Raising Malawi Organisation (RMO). November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ↑ "Pediatric Unit Built by Madonna in Malawi to Open July 11". Voice of America. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ martial (2024-10-18). "Partnership between Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and UMass Chan Medical School strengthens global health education". AO Alliance. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ Botomani, Wadza (November 1, 2025). "Meet Madalitso Baloyi, the new Minister of Health". Malawiana Times.