Chitokoloki Hospital is a hive of activity and seems to be getting busier each year. Despite having 93 physical beds, we have been regularly having 138-144 inpatients over the last few months. These extra patients are nursed on “floor beds”: mattresses placed in whatever available floor space there is. We have a good reputation for our high-quality care throughout the country. Hence, patients come to us from all over Zambia, as well as DR Congo and Angola. We have a huge responsibility to live up to that reputation, and maintain a good testimony. Our hospital stands as a light in the community; not just for patients and their relatives, but for the many staff and students, visitors and politicians who witness our care. Being a rural hospital, we have a high turnover of staff members. We pray that as they come and go, they will have been touched by what they experienced with us, and that they will trust the Lord. Between 20 and 30 student nurses are placed with us for attachments of two to three months at a time. There is a short time of devotions twice weekly for all our staff and students. Politicians and official visitors regularly come to tour the facilities. They often comment on the love and care we show to our patients and that we “do things differently” here. Individuals we have looked after report how touched they were by our care. We are thrilled to be able to do our work in the Lord’s name.

(Taken from Julie-Rachel Elwood's article in MMN's September 2023 magazine)