About St. Michael’s
St Michael’s is a Roman Catholic mission hospital with 104 beds, staffed by 2 district physicians. It is the referral centre for 22 rural health clinics, and is located approximately 120km South-West of Harare in the rural Mhondoro Ngezi District
Out-patient department
The OPD functions as emergency department and family practice clinic, where patients are triaged by nurses then diagnosed and treated by nurses or seen by doctors.
There is an Opportunistic Infections (OI) clinic, and VIACs (visual inspection under acetic acid) cervical cancer screening program in place here.
Theatre
Minor procedures take place here, such as suturing, dressings, incision and drainage, and male circumcision. As of our visit in 2016, the anesthetic machine was not currently functional therefore no procedures requiring anesthetics could take place.
Family and Child Health Department
The hospital does deliveries, as well as provides antenatal care and postnatal care. It also has a Waiting Pregnant Mothers’ Home for imminently-expecting ladies. The facility provides education, counselling, family planning, Prevention of Mother-to- Child Transmission (PMTCT), HIV Testing and Counselling (PITC), ART during pregnancy, and screening of TB. Patients attend well-child checks up to age 5, and are given required child immunizations.
Deliveries
There is a 20-bed dormitory and communal living area for pregnant mothers to stay at hospital for ~1 month prior to delivery. Midwives perform the majority of normal deliveries, and complicated pregnancies and labours are transferred to Harare. No C-sections are offered, as the anesthetic machine not functional.
Rehabilitation
The hospital has an award-winning rehabilitation department.
Labs
FBC (full blood count), TB screening, HIV, and CD4 count are regularly done. Other testing available dependent on availability of reagents.
Imaging
Plain film X-rays
Ultrasound
Communication
No functional land-line at the hospital
Weak mobile network signal
Accommodation
On-site accommodations available as shared home with several bedrooms, kitchen, living area, bathroom.