The Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent country landlocked by South Africa, and often called the 'kingdom in the sky' or the 'roof of Africa' because the entire country is at an altitude of 1300 metres or over.
St James Mission Hospital was founded in 1963 by the Anglican Church, and is situated in the geographic centre of Lesotho at an altitude of 2,300 metres.
It is connected to the capital Maseru by road, which is mostly sealed and accessible in most weather conditions.
The hospital has 60 beds and serves a population of 66,000 people living in small villages scattered throughout an area of 2,000 sq. kms.
St James is responsible for the implementation of curative and preventative services within its region. Because of its difficult terrain, many people live from one hour to two days' horse ride away from the hospital. To overcome this problem a network of permanent and semi-permanent clinics and village health posts has been set up. |
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LESOTHO FACTS |
Population: |
1,867,035 |
Land Area: |
30,355 sq km |
Capital City: |
Maseru |
Languages: |
English(official), Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho |
Religions: |
80% Christian, 20% indigenous beliefs |
Government: |
parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Date of independence: |
10/4/1966 |
GDP: |
$5.892 billion (2004 est.) |
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