With the plans being finalised at Build IT’s first Health Clinic in Nchute, Zambia, building work is due to start in May 2011. Following community planning workshops in January, RIBA architect and Build IT advisor Rob Fielding, has listened to the needs of the community and the Ministry of Health to ensure the correct features and layout.

There will be a dedicated maternity ward, which is so important in a country where maternal and new born mortality rates are so high. In Zambia a staggering 48 newborns and 8 women die during childbirth every single day.

The main clinic has been designed with a logical layout so that patients move from each area of the clinic to the next, with the pharmacy positioned at the end of the building. There is a waiting area, which has been well ventilated, with open sides and low level walls to allow the air to circulate. The emergency room has been created for those with minor accidents and snake bites - a common problem in rural Zambia.