Old Mutual International has supported the work of a medical student from the Island who spent four weeks during the summer with the World Medical Fund (WMF) in Malawi. Hayley Robinson, a former Ramsey Grammar School pupil, is a fifth year medical student at the University of East Anglia. As part of her studies, she volunteered to work with WMF which is a charitable organisation running mobile clinics to help children who live in remote villages where there is no regular healthcare. After hearing about Hayley’s work, Old Mutual International provided 200 anti-Malarial medication packs and 200 Malaria testing kits which are greatly needed in Malawi.

Speaking about her experience working at the WMF clinic in Nkhotakota in central Malawi, Hayley said: “The WMF have a huge impact on the lives of children and their families surrounding Nkhotakota, and with support they can continue to provide life-saving, and life-changing treatments. However, their efforts are limited by their resources, which is why I would like to wholeheartedly thank Old Mutual International for generously sponsoring 200 Malaria testing kits and 200 anti-Malarial medication packs. The positive impact of this donation should not be underestimated – I saw the sick children given another chance, and the relief on their mother’s faces. Without the free clinics, diagnosis and treatment given by the WMF, the alternative is unthinkable – the children and their families would be helpless.”
 
The WMF clinic in Nkhotakota is the only mobile clinic in Malawi. It operates from a Jeep, packed with medical equipment and medicines, which visits remote, rural villages within the Nkhotakota district where children are denied access to regular medical care because they live in villages which are often over 20kms away from the nearest tarmac road. Hayley added: “We had done our research, and knew that as part of the WMF team we would be providing free treatment in areas where the HIV prevalence is one of the highest in the world, and Malaria is endemic. Malaria is a huge health threat in Malawi, every Malawian resident lives in a region of high Malaria transmission. This is one very significant factor contributing to Malawi having one of the highest mortality rates in the world for children under five.”
 
Hayley has now returned to East Anglia to complete her medical degree. In her spare time she plays in the University of East Anglia’s orchestra, continuing a passion for music which can be traced back to when she was a violinist in the Manx Youth Orchestra for 10 years, and additionally a member of the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra.
 
For more information about the World Medical Fund go to www.worldmedicalfund.org
 
Photo - Hayley Robinson enjoying a moment to cuddle a happy, healthy patient.