Bwaila Hospital

The hospital has a separate 45-bed obstetric fistula care centre with its own operating theatre, a doctor and 14 specialised nurses (as of 2026).^[3] As well as its regular service, the centre operates camps where 90 women are treated for this devastating childbirth injury over a two-week period. The success rate for the fistula repair operations is said to be over 90%.^[4] It was funded by the British businessperson Dame Ann Gloag, who used to be a nurse.^[5] They deal with 400 women a year.^[3] The centre trains up some of its successful patients to become ambassadors. Women made incontinent by their fistula learn to live with the embarrassment and ostracisation that can result. The ambassadors are able to persuade these women to attend so they can lead a better life.^[3]

In 2024 Bwaila hospital added a building, the RuSH clinic, which specialises in sexually transmitted diseases.^[6] There has been an STD facility at the hospital for fifty years, but a generous donation allowed a new building to be constructed.^[7] The clinic deals with 80 to 100 patients every day.^[6]

Journalists in Malawi discovered corruption in Blantyre's Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and Lilongwe's Kamuzu Central Hospital in 2026. They reported similar practices at district hospitals in Chiradzulu, Likoma and Thyolo Districts.^[8] In March 2026 the Minister of Health, Madalitso Baloyi, disguised herself and visited Bwaila Hospital under the name "Mercy Banda" to investigate allegations of corruption there.^[9] As she waited in the queue for three hours, she saw people paying bribes to jump the queue, and saw that there was little regard for the privacy of patients.^[10][11][9]

A presidential decree had recently reminded staff that they were not allowed to operate a private service^[12] or charge fees. There were also government reminders to end corruption in public hospitals,^[10] but Bwaila hospital patients reported that while they waited for their free treatment, there was a fast lane for those who paid the unofficial fee.^[9] Baloyi's visit was confirmed by Wilson Ching'ani, who added that corruption remained a continuing problem.^[11]