NEWS: All is not well in paradise

Zanzibar's white sandy beaches and coral reef make it look like a tropical paradise, but the one million people who live on the island have limited access to health care. Average life expectancy is only 47 years. One in 180 women die during delivery of their child and 1 in 6 children die under the age of 7.

The Makunduchi Project is tackling this situation by upgrading one of two District hospitals on the island, the Makunduchi Hospital, and developing a model of high quality sustainable healthcare for Zanzibar.

Here in the UK, the Rotary Club of Nailsea & Backwell raised funds to purchase a Glostavent ® Anaesthesia System for the hospital. Rotary clubs do an amazing job, raising tens of thousands of pounds for local community projects and for charities worldwide. The new Glostavent ® was delivered to the Makunduchi Hospital in May, providing safe anaesthesia and surgery for southern Zanzibar.

Earlier in April, Diamedica Managing Director, Robert Neighbour was warmly welcomed by the Nailsea and Backwell Rotary Club, when he gave a talk about the Glostavent's® and its suitability for use in Zanzibar. Mary Rackham of the Makunduchi Project said: "I cannot tell you how much this will improve the services we are able to offer patients in Southern Zanzibar - every slide you showed could have been taken at Makunduchi!"

Diamedica pulled out all the stops to overcome various export difficulties and to ensure that the Glostavent® safely reached its destination in Zanzibar.

Readmore about the Makunduchi Project here: http://www.makunduchiproject.com/

Readmore about the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland here:  http://www.ribi.org/