Jon Fielder, MD
There is a dire need for medical care in impoverished countries like Burundi, where 65% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. To offer compassionate medical care to this population, African Mission Healthcare is partnering with longstanding mission hospitals–like Kibuye Hope Hospital.
Through the generosity of our donors, African Mission Healthcare has provided an infusion of support for Kibuye, making it possible to:
- Renovate and equip the hospital’s laboratory
- Build a new surgical ward
- Install solar power and take the hospital entirely off the grid, which reduces the hospital’s operating costs and expands access to care
- Train physician interns, nurse interns, and residents who will care for an estimated one million patients during their careers
- Lay the groundwork for Burundi’s first family physician residency program
Vulnerable women and children are among the approximately 43,000 total patients who come to Kibuye Hope Hospital for care each year.
These strategic investments make a real difference by providing for patients today, training tomorrow’s healthcare leaders, and transforming healthcare systems for the future. Because of your support, the medical personnel at Kibuye are better equipped to save lives and reduce suffering.
Last December, Nadia was admitted to the birthing ward at Kibuye when she went into labor with twins. The doctors and nurses supported her through a successful delivery, but one of her babies needed care from the neonatal intensive care unit. For two months, Nadia lived at the hospital with her newborns.
Then one night, Nadia began experiencing difficulty breathing. Suddenly her oxygen levels plummeted and her breathing became rapid. Her heart rate and blood pressure had skyrocketed, and her lungs were filled with fluid. But it was unclear what was causing Nadia’s symptoms, and her condition was quickly deteriorating.
Using an ultrasound, Dr. Eric McLaughlin determined that a heart problem was the source of her symptoms. While keeping Nadia on a high level of oxygen, he administered intravenous and oral medications, hoping it was enough to bring Nadia back from the brink.
Just 24 hours prior, Nadia had seemed perfectly healthy. Dr. McLaughlin worried about her sharp decline. “We were doing what we could, but I feared for her,” he said. “I was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to pull her out of this and that her twins would lose their mother.”
Nadia’s rapid breathing continued despite receiving the maximum amount of oxygen. Then, very slowly, she improved. After 48 hours, Dr. McLaughlin felt she might recover.
A week later, Nadia was released from the hospital. Her baby was also discharged from the NICU, and the brave mother brought her twins home, along with medicine prescribed for her heart condition. A well-equipped Kibuye Hospital saved Nadia’s life and prevented two babies from becoming orphans.
During the next year, African Mission Healthcare and Kibuye Hope Hospital are taking big steps forward to provide a higher level of care to the people of Burundi. Our plans to move forward include:
- Beginning family medicine training, including additional housing for physicians in training
- Building a major wastewater treatment utility for the growing medical campus
- Installing a larger oxygen plant to care for the increasing number of sick patients seeking care at Kibuye
- Continuing support for Burudian healthcare workers studying specialties in other African countries
Together, we are creating access to quality, compassionate medical treatment in Burundi – and across Africa. African Mission Healthcare is actively working with 32 partner hospitals in 11 countries, each strategically chosen to meet the greatest needs for care.
Kibuye By the Numbers
Jan – March 2024
| Outpatients | 7,764 |
| Hospital Admissions | 2,575 |
| Safe Deliveries | 465 |
| C-Sections | 159 |
| All other Surgeries | 645 |
| Interns in Training | 11 |
| Surgery Residents | 5 |
