St Luke's is an Anglican mission hospital run by the Diocese of South West Tanganyika. About half of the hospital's modest operating budget is provided by an annual grant from the mission agency USPG: Anglicans in World Mission, which depends on donations from parishes like St James. The hospital is situated in the village of Milo in the southern highlands of Tanzania, three to four hours drive (depending on the season) from the nearest town of Njombe.

Although the region is fertile and intensively farmed, there is little trade of any sort, few consumer goods and people’s livelihoods are at the mercy of the weather. It serves a catchment area of 300 sq kilometres, with a population of up to 20,000 spread across ten villages. Many people travel long distances uphill to reach the hospital, either walking or being carried on improvised stretchers.

The hospital has 50 beds and three main wards: male, female, and children and maternity. Relatives cook all the food required by ‘their’ patient whilst they are in the hospital, staying in a very basic hostel themselves - built thanks to a millennium gift from St. James (see letter below). There is also an Outpatients Dispensary that treats about 6,000 people a year. Pneumonia followed by diarrhoea and sickness (usually due to poor hygiene) and then HIV/AIDS are the main causes of death.

St Luke’s has only been able to provide care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS since 2006, thanks to financial assistance from the Global Fund. Previously there had been widespread denial that anyone had HIV. The arrival of a CD4 machine in January 2009 means that patients on anti-retrovirals are spared a long walk to another facility for blood tests every six months.

Since 2005 St Luke’s has had its own water storage tanks, fed partly from a stream by a hydraulic pump and partly from rainwater harvested from the hospital roofs during the wet season. There is no mains electricity. Thanks to a new generator installed in February 2009, operations can be performed without power concerns, but the cost of the diesel is a concern.

In July 2011, solar panels were installed on the roof of the hospital and on the three houses where senior staff live. The panels generate enough energy to light the wards, but not the machinery in the operating theatres – the diesel generator is still vital for heavier energy demands. Funding for this big step forward came from USAID. The benefit of having overhead lighting all through the hours of darkness (7pm to 6am) is not difficult to imagine.

The hospital has an acute shortage of staff at all levels as it is hard to attract and retain qualified people in such a remote part of the country. The death of senior clinical officer, Benaiah Kilwale, in July 2011 is a huge loss to St Luke’s. It is also a great sadness to St James following many years of friendship and correspondence. The diocese is trying to solve the staff problem by sponsoring students, on the proviso that they work at Milo for 5 years on completion of their courses. In 2009 St James sponsored the training of two nurses and one pharmaceutical technician. Another friend of the hospital, Revd Christopher Wagstaff, is sponsoring two young men through their medical degrees and there is a good chance that at least one of them will return to Milo once qualified.

No account of St Luke’s would be complete without mention of Dr Douglas Lwoga who served the hospital faithfully in his retirement years from 1988 until his death in 2007, aged 71. He was a true saint of a man. Fortunately another retired doctor, Dr Simeon Mbuligwe, was employed by the diocese as the new doctor in charge in March 2008. His family live in Njombe, so he is separated from his wife and grandchildren for long periods of time. Aged 72, he is respected and trusted by whole community.

In August 2009 Ann Peterken travelled to Milo, the first parishioner to do so. The welcome was wonderful and much was learnt. Other churches and individuals with an interest in Milo were also extremely happy to receive up-to-date news. Milo has quite a fan club here in the UK!

Ann returned to Milo in September 2011 and has written an account of her visit – read My visit to Liuli and Milo, 13 -25 September 2011.

Letter from Milo - 2 July 2001

Dear Ann,
I am glad to inform you that St. James's special donation of £1000 has been used to build the patient relatives kitchen, which is already in use. Find the enclosed photos of the building, thank you very much for your generous help. In this building we have two bedrooms, one for female and for male relatives. There is still a need to build another house for sleeping. The villages being served by this hospital would collect stones for the foundation, lay bricks and burn them on a self-help basis, but the problem would be money for buying cement, timber and corrugated iron sheets for the roof.

Your campaign on cancellation of debts has given us some fruits in our country. After having had debt relief, the government has decided to give free primary school education so that all children at the age of 7 are recruited to school. Our President announced this last week through Radio Tanzania. We are very grateful to all financial agencies that have given us debt relief, thus enabling our government to improve the provision of social services. We still urge for the remaining financial agencies to cancel their debts.

The rains this year were very heavy, as compared to last years. One wall of our pre-nursing school hostel has fallen down - thank God that no single student was hurt. We haven't yet repaired the wall, so students have been moved to one of our new staff houses temporarily. A photo of the collapsed wall is enclosed.

My motorbike has started some trouble; it gets very hot when climbing small hills and at times I am forced to stop in the middle of the hills and let it cool. I have planned to send it to Njombe town for overhaul - I will let you know as soon as it is ready. Also my motorcycle outfit is worn out and they are not available in the country, thus it is sometimes very difficult to drive when it rains and during winter. Milo is very cold during the months of May, June, July and August.

Wishing you all the best and sending my regards to all friends at St. James.

Yours in Christ's Love,
Benaiah Kilwale

Historical Background to St. Luke's Milo Mission Hospital
St James’s connection with St Luke’s hospital in Milo started in 1978 when their medical superintendent Gideon Mhagama came to England for the Lambeth Conference with the Bishop of South West Tanganyika. Gideon visited St James and told the congregation of the need for a motorbike to take health services out to surrounding villages. People responded and raised money to buy a motorbike. Benaiah Kilwale became one of its main users and so it became known as Benaiah’s motorbike.