Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Plenary, 15 Mar 2007

15 Mar 2007 · S2 · Plenary

Item of business

Scotland Malawi Partnership

Turner, Dr Jean Ind Strathkelvin and Bearsden Watch on SPTV

I thank Karen Gillon for managing to fit in the debate before the end of the session because the subject is important, as is keeping the connection and the partnership with Malawi.

When I was nine, I visited the Livingstone memorial at Blantyre for the first time. At that time, I never thought that I would visit Malawi. To do so was a mind-boggling experience and a privilege.

I have vivid memories of very good main roads in Malawi from north to south and from east to west, but immediately we went off those roads we were on dirt tracks, although this is the 21st century. When I close my eyes, I can visualise people in various coloured garments walking along the edges of roads—walking, walking, walking. People in Malawi walk everywhere. They seem to have energy—more than people in Scotland—although food is sometimes lacking.

Malawi seemed very much like Scotland. The scenery was like that of Scotland's west coast, as was the rain.

The visit made me realise that we need roads. Immediately we went off the main roads, we were on dirt tracks. If people have no roads or water supply, nothing can be done for schools or hospitals.

People in Malawi have difficulty accessing hospitals and education. Children walk, on average, one and a half hours to school and back again and they do not have breakfast clubs. They have voracious appetites for education. It was wonderful to see them, even when there were 200 in a class, which would really push some of our teachers.

The smoke from burning wood fuel was everywhere. It was even in the grounds of Mulanje hospital, because people who go there to look after friends who are patients cook on site and are in charge of the food.

This is the 21st century, but in Mulanje hospital clothes are washed by hand in big concrete tubs. Despite that, the hospital's standards of medicine and cleanliness were superb. I take my hat off to the staff, who fight to maintain standards. I was amazed. I heard stories before I went to Malawi, but seeing the reality was another matter.

If someone is lucky, they can walk to hospital. If they are very lucky, they will have a bicycle ambulance. Members can imagine that a bicycle ambulance bumps over the roads and that if someone has a painful problem they will be very sore and sick by the time they reach the hospital.

Another of my memories is of seeing in an operating theatre in Bottom hospital an operating table that looked like a flimsy ironing board. Gosh, they could do with equipment.

I know from visiting universities and hospitals that they need journals. They need a register of the great deal of work that is done in Malawi. We recently met people from Malawi who mentioned that. Much is done out there, but no record of it is kept or co-ordinated. Hospitals and churches help, people give their time to help and NGOs help, but not even the NGOs' work is co-ordinated. That is sad. If anything can be done to establish a register of the work that is done there, which is great and should continue, we should do it, because we need a register. I was surprised that the Church of Scotland, whose congregations spend about £100,000 a year, does not have a register for that.

Malawi is an old friend. We should look after old friends and continue to do so.