Westgate/Matawale Twinning Project

Constitutional objectives

‘The advancement of health: This is a key object of our twinning arrangement and we are helping in this regard in a number of ways: •Transferring funds raised to our counterparts in Malawi to enable them to procure much needed equipment and as a result helping their economy. •Sharing medical knowledge and expertise by encouraging dialogue via email to discuss/analyse interesting cases. •Enabling the staff at Matawale to access the same range of medical journals and textbooks on line that we here in Scotland can take for granted. Basic health services are unavailable at many health facilities in Malawi. This is mainly due to shortages of trained health personnel, differences in levels of skill among professional staff. and misdistribution of staff between rural and urban areas and between regions. Unavailability of essential drugs, medical supplies and equipment also contributes to lack of services. The advancement of education •By installing and maintaining internet and Wi-Fi facilities staff at Matawale are able to enjoy the same opportunities as ourselves in Dundee. This includes access to journals, textbooks, blogs, email and other media. •Funds raised can be utilised to allow staff to attend further training courses they could not source themselves or find funding locally •The encouragement of twinning visits to enhance the knowledge of both parties. The relief of those in need by reason by age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage •The twinning project is firmly grounded in long term relationships with people committed to living and working in their local communities •By helping to improve the facilities used by medical staff to provide primary medical care services. • Through the provision of healthcare information available to staff and patients to improve their knowledge of preventative medicine.’