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"We Must Be Hopeful"
"We must be hopeful," says Dr. Albert Mutombo Tshipeta, a
pediatrician from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
when asked about his thoughts on the future of his country.
Dr. Tshipeta works at Centre Hospitalier in Kinshasa, the
capital of the DRC, where hope is sometimes in as short
supply as medical supplies and equipment.
The DRC is comparable in size to Western Europe and
possesses enormous mineral wealth. The country has a
population of close to 60 million. DRC is now emerging from
the long dictatorship of Mobuto Sese Seko (when the country
was known as Zaire) as well as years of vicious civil war
that followed this dictatorship. It has been less than four
years since a fragile peace took hold in most of the
country. On July 30, 2006, the DRC held its first
multi-party election since 1960.
"There are no words to describe it," Dr. Mutombo Tshipeta
says about the devastation of his country from years of war.
After living abroad, he has now returned to the DRC to work
for a better future for his country. He believes that the
Centre Hospitalier is a small part of the solution to the
huge need for healthcare, education and other social
services.
The hospital, established in 2001, has 100 beds and treats
over 12,000 patients a year. All services are free. It is
supported financially by the country's central bank, so it
has mostly reliable electricity and potable water. They also
receive "adequate" supplies. Dr. Mutombo Tshipeta often
feels frustrated by not having the resources to fully treat
some of his patients. Without critical supplies, he often
has to accept that only the minimum can be done.
To bolster his hope, in early April, Dr. Mutombo Tshipeta
and Mr. Katambay Kashana, a maintenance engineer at Centre
Hospitalier, spent an entire week at the Atlanta
headquarters of MedShare International. They worked with the
MedShare staff to choose specific supplies they need from
the 50,000 square foot distribution center.
Shortly after the two hopeful men return home to the DRC and
Centre Hospitalier, they will be joined by a forty-foot
shipping container filled with hand-picked supplies. The
shipment will contain basic but desperately needed items
like gauze, sutures, syringes, and gloves along with
sophisticated biomedical equipment that will greatly improve
the care given to the many patients at their hospital.
It is people like Dr. Tshipeta and Mr. Kashana who give us
hope—they are making a difference every day. They are
central to the health and welfare of many of the most needy
people in Kinshasa and the DRC. Together with MedShare, the
doctors and caregivers at Centre Hospitalier are working
towards a brighter future for their country.
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Shipment Update
During the month of March, MedShare International shipped containers filled
with vital medical supplies and equipment to healthcare institutions in
different countries. The recipients were:
- Ghana
Kintampo District Hospital
- Ethiopia
Durame Hospital
- Columbia
Corbanacol Foundation (2 shipments)
- Democratic Republic of Congo
2 shipments to Office Congolaise de Controle
- Dominican Republic
Office of the First Lady (various hospitals)
- Cameroon
Mamfe Hospital
- Benin
CNHU Hubert Maga Hospital
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