Malawi

Speech delivered on Wed 20th Feb 2008

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): I am delighted to be speaking in the debate. I have been extremely fortunate to have been to Malawi twice with the Scottish branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. I am glad to hear that the minister is well following her visit, which I know she enjoyed.

All the MSPs who visited Malawi for the first time were particularly struck by certain events or visits that they made while they were there. I will return later to the one that especially affected me. After the visit, and the visit of the then First Minister, Jack McConnell, a co-operation agreement with Malawi was signed on 3 November 2005, as other members have mentioned. I add my congratulations to Jack McConnell for all the work that he has done. He is going to be a great asset and a help for both Scotland and Malawi when he takes up his new post.

A commitment was given through the international development fund, initially for £3 million per annum. That was increased by 50 per cent to £4.5 million for 2006-07 and 2007-08. I was a little disappointed that the Scottish National Party Government did not meet its manifesto commitment for its first 100 days, for the aid budget to be increased by 100 per cent. Rather, the aid budget will be doubled only by 2011.

Malawi is a very poor country. It is landlocked, and life expectancy is around 46 years. The DFID's poverty figures show that 50 per cent of people there live on an income of less than 23p per day. HIV and AIDS have stabilised at about 14 per cent of the population. In the capital city, Lilongwe, HIV and AIDS cases among pregnant women fell from 25 per cent to 16 per cent in the five years to 2003, and I know that the figure is still coming down. The under-five mortality rate declined to 133 deaths per 100,000 live births-I stress live births-in 2004, which is a 43 per cent reduction in 12 years.

Free primary education was introduced in 1994, and enrolment has risen by 60 per cent. In 2000, the average class size was 114. I remember visiting schools with Karen Gillon and others and finding class sizes of substantially more than 100. By 2006-07, the figure had come down, perhaps to 85-the equivalent of a whole primary school year here. Now, 81 per cent of children aged between six and 13 go to school. However, secondary schools are not free, so many children cease education at the end of primary school. Often, primary schools have children who are older than 13, because they did not manage to start school until after the age of six.

Hunger is ever present. One fifth of the population are not able to meet their minimum

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daily food needs. The last year I was there, the maize crop-the main food source-had failed, which resulted in huge shortages and a huge amount of hardship. However, Malawi is now making good progress in achieving food security. For the second year running, the country has produced a record maize harvest. That is due to a successful Government fertiliser and seed subsidy programme, as well as to good rains. The 2007 harvest was 3.2 million tons, which is a surplus of 1 million tons. That will provide the Government with reserves for the future, and any sales will give the country welcome income.

I now return to the visit that made the most impact on me. Before I went to Malawi, I was approached by a constituent, Anne Findlay. She told me about a group of nurses and a doctor who were spending their own time and money delivering a maternity programme called ALSO-advanced life support training in obstetrics for health care professionals. She wanted me to visit Bottom maternity hospital. I agreed. I went, and I was thoroughly appalled at the conditions. I met Tariq Maquid, Grace, the head nurse, and others. We could not have met a more dedicated band. The infant mortality rate in 2004 was 984 deaths per 100,000 live births. Those who died before birth are not recorded. Graeme Walker, a doctor who works at the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh maternity unit, told me that he had never, in all the years he had worked at the maternity unit, seen a death at birth.

My visit was soon followed by that of Jack McConnell. I know that his visit to Bottom hospital had the same profound effect on him that mine had on me. Soon after his return, the ALSO group was awarded funding from the Scottish Executive to continue their work training midwives. Many of those nurses and doctors have now been to Malawi several times, giving up their time, including holiday time, for the benefit of nurses in Malawi. Nurses are now trained in various different parts of Malawi. However, one of the big problems in maternity care is the number of nurses who leave Malawi once they are trained. Many of them come to the United Kingdom. The ALSO team is helping to stem that flow.

One of those nurses, Linda McDonald, decided to do more to help Bottom hospital by raising money. A recipe book was launched and more than £100,000 was raised. The STV Christmas appeal in 2006 was for Bottom hospital and, with Tom Hunter matching the money pound for pound, more than £800,000 was raised from the Scottish population for a new maternity hospital in Lilongwe.

I became a member of the Malawi Underprivileged Mothers trust, which is run by Linda McDonald-I have found that one cannot

say no to Linda. Other funds have been raised and a second recipe book has already raised more than £50,000. With those funds, Tariq and Grace will get a new maternity wing at Top hospital for serious cases. The refurbishment of Bottom hospital by the Rose Project in Dublin will improve maternity care for thousands of deserving mothers and their babies from all around Lilongwe, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Linda McDonald and the generosity of Tom Hunter, STV and the Scottish people.