For families in Malawi’s remote Chikuluma community, reliable permanent healthcare has long been out of reach. Doctors For Life International (DFL) is now building a permanent clinic through its Aid to Africa (A2A) programme. Opening soon, it will bring essential medical care closer to people with little or no access to it and support lasting health improvements. DFL’s involvement in Chikuluma, in Machinga District, began with medical outreaches in 2016. Volunteer teams provided healthcare, medicines, supplies, and training while planning longer-term support the community requested.
The clinic’s construction grew from years of trust and perseverance. Between 2010 and 2017, DFL provided general medical care and eye surgery to 14 Malawian communities. After a successful eye-surgery campaign in Chikuluma, residents and leaders asked for permanent assistance. In 2019, DFL deployed a mobile container clinic for routine care and supplies. In 2022, it distributed mosquito nets and medical supplies, and volunteer teams continued visiting until medical work was suspended in 2024. Once restrictions were lifted, plans to establish a permanent clinic resumed.
DFL then finalised registration of its healthcare non-profit in Malawi, allowing it to acquire land and build a clinic that meets the Ministry of Health’s requirements. Short-term outreaches are thus becoming a permanent facility where suitable surgical procedures can also be performed. Doctors For Life International NPC was established in 1991 “to uphold the sanctity of life, promote sound scientific practices, and preserve Judeo-Christian ethics within the medical profession.”
Dr Abu van Eeden is its CEO. The organisation has more than 1,500 members worldwide, including medical practitioners, dentists and veterinarians. Since 2001, DFL has provided free care to 250,000 patients in seven countries. Its services include medical examinations, spectacles, maternity care and dental treatment. Restoring sight is a particular priority during remote African outreaches, which usually last two to four weeks and require difficult travel and work in challenging conditions.
DFL’s long-term goal is to establish permanent facilities offering free healthcare in resource-limited areas. Its first permanent clinic, the Centro de Saúde de Sihane, opened in Zavora, Mozambique, in 2009 and assists more than 24,000 patients annually. The Malawi clinic will be DFL’s second permanent clinic in Southern Africa, extending a sustainable model built on trust, planning and a lasting presence in communities in need.
(Visit the website for more information: https://www.doctorsforlife.co.za/