St. Joseph-Nguludi Mission HospitalFacility

St. Joseph’s Hospital was founded by a Catholic Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom Sisters, in the Archdiocese of Blantyre in 1953. The Daughters of Wisdom Sisters are involved in different pastoral services such as education, health, and social work. The Catholic Mission Hospitals in the country complements government efforts in the health sector through its health units scattered across the Archdiocese especially in rural areas. St. Joseph’s hospital operates on a not-for-profit basis and tries to solicit some extra income by offering the services of private rooms and consultations. The money is used to cover the running costs of the hospital and to assist patients who cannot afford to pay. The catchment population for the hospital is around 46,000, although they see more patients as people travel from other districts to benefit from the excellent care at the hospital. The community in Chiradzulu District is mainly rural and the lifestyle is based on subsistence farming. Only a minority of the population has a paying job or a viable private business. Most of the people live below the poverty line, which is affecting the daily operations of the hospital because most of them cannot afford hospital user fees.