Marcello’s Mission 2024: Quiet Work, Steady Gains

From late October to early November 2024, MTIMA co-founder Marcello SeungJu Na spent two weeks in Malawi with a simple brief: teach what’s useful, support local teams, and prepare patients who may need advanced care.

Most days started at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, shoulder-to-shoulder with Malawian clinicians. The focus was practical—probe position, measurement technique, clear reporting—so trainees could use the skills the same afternoon. Alongside teaching, the team screened dozens of patients for potential open-heart surgery, organizing cases so follow-up would be straightforward when visiting surgical teams are available.

Supplies were delivered where they make immediate difference: 200 bottles of ultrasound gel, 4,000 ECG electrodes, and 10 medical textbooks. The electrodes alone support roughly ~400 standard 12-lead ECGs (10 electrodes per test). Texts were placed with trainees and wards to serve as reliable references when bandwidth or power is limited.

Time was also set aside for site visits and conversations with partners to plan future volunteer roles that fit the clinic’s pace without adding burden. The aim was not a big footprint, but a helpful one.

This work is incremental by design—cleaner scans, clearer notes, steadier clinics. It moves at the speed of trust and practice.

By the numbers (Oct–Nov 2024)

• 14 days on the ground

• Dozens of patients screened for surgical candidacy

• 200 bottles of ultrasound gel

• 4,000 ECG electrodes (~400 12-lead ECGs)

• 10 medical textbooks

• Multiple site visits to plan future rotations