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From Fides ServiceDec. 18, 2009
The area of Kamanyola will finally have a hospital center to
respond to the many emergencies which the people of this area encounter: they
are areas thorn by years of war, where AIDS, intestinal diseases, mosquitoes,
tuberculosis, diabetes and sicknesses of lungs and heart become more frequent
and constitute its health priorities. On this project who is soon to finish,
Agenzia Fides interviewed Xaverian missionary Fr. Franco Bordignon who is the
regional treasurer of the diocese of Bukavu; he is supervising the works of the
hospital which will be named “Hospital Pere Crippa Joseph” in remembrance of Fr.
Giuseppe Crippa who died this past Oct. 26 2009 of cerebral hemorrhage.
Fr. Crippa spent some 43 years in mission in the Dem. Rep. Of Congo, 8 in the
diocese of Bukavu, and 35 years in Uvira, of which 22 at Kamanyola. “Fr. Joseph
has been talking for years about the need of this medical facility, especially
with the help of his family who left wills honoring his dad and brothers and
sisters – comments Fr. Bordignon to Fides Service -. Unfortunately because of
the long years of war in Eastern Congo, it was impossible to start anything.
Finally, after addressing some issues and permits at the local regional and
national level, the building project started at the end of Dec. 2008 beginning
of January 2009.”
“The beginnings are never easy – continues Fr. Bordignon – starting from the
place, because there is a need of a facility like this everywhere. With the
permission of the diocese of Uvira, some land was acquired at Kamanyola, which
is right in the border between Rwanda and Burundi, thus offering a message of
peace for everyone involved, both the population and the authorities. It is a
small town just under the equator, at 2,500 feet above sea level, with 50,000
residents and in full expansion. The land is located along the road (a rare
privilege in the Congo) that goes to Uvira, the main town in the region of the
South Kivu region. Currently, the nearest hospital is 75 km away in Uvira (about
90 minutes by car). The other is in Nyangezi, 35 km, but it is difficult to
reach because the road is a mule track. The majority of the citizens of the area
surrounding Kamanyola will attend this new hospital.
According to the World Health Organization standards, there should be 100 beds,
but you can easily get to 150, says Fr. Bordignon. It is expected that maternity
and surgery will be the two pavilions with the most work, as is the case in most
hospitals in the region. The hospital, while it awaits electricity, will have a
large central generator and generator sets for the various smaller pavilions.
There will also be two large tanks of water because the water supply is not
constant.
The people are thorn by years of war, where AIDS, intestinal diseases, mosquitoes, tuberculosis, diabetes and sicknesses of lungs and heart become more frequent and constitute its health priorities.
For security reasons, all the land is protected by a wall. The halls are still
under construction and are located on an area of over one hectare. The masonry
work will end in July 2010. The hospital includes a central block with various
clinics, laboratories, emergency room, and offices...There is also the surgery
block, the block of three internal medicine wards for men, women, and children,
a section for x-rays and ultrasound, the maternity and gynecology ward, the
section with four small apartments, a section for visiting physicians, the
mortuary, a chapel, kitchen, and laundry area.
“All the sections are connected by covered walkways,” says Fr. Bordignon.
“Outside the wall of the hospital will be the home for the Director and
Assistant Director, and the house for the community of sisters who will manage
the hospital. There will also be 5 acres of land for agricultural crops
(peanuts, maize, cassava, soy plant, beans, peas, legumes), and another 10
hectares to be cultivated to help self-financing of the hospital, available to
the families of hospital staff and the sisters.
The construction is entrusted to a company of Burundi, but with staff from the
town of Kamanyola. The activities are monitored on site by an Italian volunteer
already working as a lay missionary in those areas. The hospital, although owned
by the Diocese of Uvira, will be officially accepted as a hospital under the
Ministry of Health. (AP/FB)
