Kasongo-Lunda

Since 2005, St Vincent General Hospital in Deinze has been partnering with Kasongo-Lunda, a Congolese health zone. This partnership was established with Memisa, an NGO that promotes universal health coverage. The focus of this ‘Hospital for Hospital’ project, providing quality basic health care, strongly aligns with our desire to show solidarity and care, not only for the patients in our hospital but also within a broader societal context and even beyond our national borders.

Every three years, three colleagues travel to Kasongo-Lunda to pitch in and lend a helping hand. In November 2019, emergency physician Nele Vangheluwe, head midwife Sabine Van de Vyver and staff member Johan Vanlauwe (Care Department) went to the site. They recorded their experiences in a blog.

Additionally, there is a commitment to provide an annual fixed financial contribution to support the partner zone and ensure the continued operation of the Kasongo-Lunda Hospital. To achieve this, various activities are launched to raise awareness and generate funds.

Supplementary revenue is used for additional projects, such as educational courses and training sessions. Investments are also made in solar panels to provide sustainable power and lighting. This has already been realised for the Maternity Unit, operating facilities and the Paediatrics Department at Kasongo-Lunda.

Water for Mabele

In Kasongo-Lunda, running water is both a precious commodity and a logistical challenge. The multi-year ‘Water for Mabele’ project provides Kasongo-Lunda with drinking water, rainwater collection and sanitation infrastructure using renewable energy. In 2018, successful water drilling took place on the hospital premises. Meanwhile, the distribution of drinking water on the hospital site has become a reality. For the next project phase, we will focus on building sanitation facilities and collecting rainwater.

Transmural care

Properly functioning health posts are essential for the smooth operation of a hospital. A health post in the Congo is like a GP in Belgium: patients are only referred to a hospital if they cannot be helped at a health post.

Moasi Makasi

Our midwives have developed the 'Moasi Makasi' (Strong Woman) project into Amika (Association des Mamans Infirmières de Kasongo-Lunda), which aims to support local midwives in the Kasongo-Lunda health zone. It is hospital midwives who visit their colleagues, exchanging questions, knowledge and experiences to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

In 2019, Doctors Without Vacation members launched a capacity-building project at the hospital in Kasongo-Lunda. In consultation with the local hospital, and taking into account existing skills, needs and its own assessment of areas for improvement, the volunteer healthcare professionals have developed a concrete action plan for three priority areas:

• emergency and intensive care
• hospital hygiene
• hospital management

We are sharing our experiences and working closely with our African colleagues to achieve quality healthcare for these priority areas. This exchange of medical and paramedical expertise, coupled with the provision of organisational, technical and material support, will enable the Kasongo-Lunda Hospital to better fulfil its role in the health system.

Our projects deserve your support. We believe that the energy and resources we invest in our projects ultimately add value. Stepping back from our daily concerns and daring to confront our comfortable situation, in stark contrast to the conditions in the Global South, encourages everyone to reflect. Focusing on this extra dimension enriches us all.

If you have any questions, you can always contact Johan or Sabine.

Sabine Van de Vyver

Telephone: +32 (0)9 387 70 52

Email address: sabine.van.de.vyver@azstvdeinze.be

More information about Sabine Van de Vyver

Johan Vanlauwe

Telephone: +32 (0)9 387 70 47

Email address: johan.vanlauwe@azstvdeinze.be

More information about Johan Vanlauwe