Madonna visits Malawi children’s ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital

Pop diva Madonna held ailing children when visiting an overcrowded children’s ward in Blantyre, Malawi’s largest city.

Madonna, spending her fourth day in the southern African country Thursday, visited Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital which she has been assisting for five years, through its chief pediatrician, Dr. Eric Borgstein.

Borgstein said the ward performs at least 500 surgeries per year on poor children.

Trevor Neilson, president of the Global Philanthropy Group that is managing Madonna’s projects in Malawi, said Madonna is the largest individual donor to the hospital and funds programs run by Borgstein that include treating children with cancer.

Borgstein said Malawi has only three pediatric surgeons. Borgstein is currently a partner of Raising Malawi, the non-profit organization Madonna co-founded with Michael Berg in 2006 to help Malawian children.