Care in the Community

In a recent post we wrote about the more serious medical needs of the Kimbilio children, which are often cared for at the Butterfly Hospital and Clinic in Lubumbashi, operated by the Garenganze Church.

The Butterfly Hospital operates a daily clinic where less serious ailments can be treated through appointments with a Consultant. There is a small laboratory on site where simple testing for common ailments can be confirmed, such as malaria, and the hospital operates an ambulance service for more serious cases and emergency admissions. The hospital has five small wards for admitted patients.

Staff were kind enough to show us around the facilities recently and tell us about their current case load.

The hospital is a hive of activity, the small number of staff are professional, brisk and incredibly caring about their patients, who outnumber them several times. It is a bright sunny morning and the clinic for the day is bustling, with a maternity clinic running alongside the regular doctor consultations. Behind the clinic are four small wards with beds taken by patients recovering from surgery and a variety of longer-term illnesses.

We take a look at the simple operating theatre, a far cry from those we are accustomed to seeing on medical TV shows and to say it is basic is an understatement, however, the surgeon tells us it is just about sufficient to treat the wide variety of surgical requirements they receive. The surgeon tells me that they struggle to keep it stocked with medical supplies and there are plans for modernisation should funds become available.

As we continued through the hospital, one man, recovering from a hernia operation, reaches out his hand from his hospital bed to take mine, he was keen to share just how grateful he was for the Butterfly Hospital and the care he had received. On a low income, he explained, it was difficult for him to afford care, but he said that the prices at the hospital were not too expensive and so he was very grateful to be able to receive the care he needed.

One area of the hospital that perhaps sees the most action is the maternity ward, with five babies born in just a few hours on the morning we visited! On occasions when Kimbilio are caring for pregnant girls, the Butterfly Hospital provides important maternity facilities and expertise to support girls at a time when they are particularly vulnerable.

The service that this small hospital provides is not just a lifeline for many of the young people who seek out help from Kimbilio, but also for the whole community.   

#DRCongo #Lubumbashi #HautKatanga #Katanga #streetchildren #CliniquePapillon #EgliseGarenganze

• 

• 

•