A HEREFORD nurse who transformed a hospital department in Malawi has been awarded an MBE.

Liz Ottaway was recognised in the New Year Honours List for services to improving health and education in Africa.

She moved to Malawi with her husband, Bill, from Hereford in 2005.

She had forged links with Nhkata Bay hospital during previous visits and had been supplying medical equipment from funds raised in the UK for several years.

On moving to Malawi, Mrs Ottaway worked voluntarily at the hospital's outpatients department [OPD] for seven years until she “retired” in 2012.

The hospital serves a population of 212,000 and has only one doctor.

When Mrs Ottaway started in 2005, the treatment room in the OPD was run by a cleaner with little training in managing and stitching wounds, which were performed in a filthy room with rusting instruments that were inadequately sterilised in a bucket of chlorine.

In a few weeks, Liz transformed the treatment room and provided new equipment and supplies.

It soon became very busy and Liz saw around 70 patients a day.

In 2007 Mrs Ottaway initiated a cervical screening service- the first in the area.

In the same year, she became the sexual transmitted infection co-ordinator for the area and extended the service beyond the hospital and took it to the community to see commercial sex workers and prison inmates.

Over the years, funds raised bought medical equipment and treatment and helped make repairs to Nhkata Bay hospital.

With money raised back in the UK, Mr and Mrs Ottaway have built and equipped a nursery in Chawanangwa, near their home in Mzuzu, for around 23 pre-school children each year.

And at Bandawe School for the Deaf, they have helped the school build a house for the female students; bought sewing machines so students can learn tailoring; and donated wool and knitting needles so they can learn to knit baby clothes and school jumpers.

On her trips home to the UK, Mrs Ottaway has learnt to do hearing tests for hearing aids.

Mrs Ottaway said of her MBE: "I feel very honoured to be receiving this award, but I couldn’t have done any of the work that I do without the wonderful support that I receive from so many loyal supporters in Hereford and elsewhere, particularly my husband Bill."