Communities
Bongolo, Gabon
Most of the equatorial country of Gabon consists of tropical rainforests, a part of the larger Congo Basin. While rich in natural resources, income disparity in Gabon means that many rural communities experience severe poverty. Home to Albert Schweitzer’s famous pioneering hospital, Gabon has a rich history of medical missions.
Bongolo Hospital
Bongolo Hospital is located deep in the jungle of central Gabon and serves the needs of a large rural population. Founded through a partnership of the Christian Missionary Alliance and the local church, this vital hospital has grown from a small health outpost in the 1970s to a large, full-service teaching and referral hospital. Its surgical training program laid the foundation for the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) which now trains highly skilled African professionals at multiple locations throughout Africa.
African Mission Healthcare has been engaged with Bongolo Hospital since 2017 with a focus on strengthening physical infrastructure and utilities (especially power and water). As the hospital joined the Mission Hospital Teaching Network, African Mission Healthcare supported a process of strategic planning and the revitalization of the nursing school, one of the only training institutes in the country.
Treating Patients Today
How African Mission Healthcare is helping treat patients in Gabon:
- Subsidized the cost of essential pharmaceuticals and supplies.
- Installed an oxygen plant to provide this life-saving medical necessity (prior to the installation, oxygen had to be transported from 10 hours away).
Training Health Workers for Tomorrow
How African Mission Healthcare is helping train health workers in Gabon:
- Helped create a functional environment that has facilitated the training of 27 African surgeons, over 300 nurses, and three anesthetists.
- Constructed housing for nursing students and staff.
- Remodeled the nursing school.
- Provided administrative training for senior management.
- Developed the groundwork for governmental approval of primary care training program.
Transforming Hospitals for the Future
How African Mission Healthcare is helping transform Bongolo Hospital:
- Rewired the entire hospital electrical system.
- Expanded the water supply, treatment plants, and storage.
- Conducted a strategic planning process involving the hospital, board, and local church.
- Supported Gabonese construction project management within the hospital.