Mennonite Mennonite Health Care in Health Care in
DR CongoDR Congoby Franklin Baerby Franklin Baer
Senior Advisor to I.M.A. for SANRU Senior Advisor to I.M.A. for SANRU IIIIII
Baertracks, Harrisonburg VABaertracks, Harrisonburg VA
How can we How can we help to improve help to improve
the health of the health of people in DR people in DR
Congo? Congo?
1) Exclusive Breastfeeding
2) Vaccinate completely
3) Vitamin A twice a year
4) Sleeping under bednets (ITN)
5) Prompt treatment for fevers
6) Oral Rehydration Therapy for diarrhea
7) Washing hands regularly
8) Prenatal preventive treatment of malaria
9) Child Spacing
10) Abstinence and loyalty to avoid AIDS
Ten Commandments of Health
The Ten Commandments of Health
Ten Commandments of Health
Mennonite Health Work in DR Congo
The blue lines show The blue lines show all the “paved” all the “paved”
roads of Congo!roads of Congo!
The 306 The 306
Health Zones Health Zones
of DR Congoof DR Congo
1)1) Well-defined geographic areas Well-defined geographic areas
2)2) Strongly decentralized Strongly decentralized
3)3) Often Often co-managed by FBOsco-managed by FBOs
Health Zones are . . .
1) Health Zones are 1) Health Zones are well-defined well-defined
geographic areas geographic areas
Population of 150,000Population of 150,000
Communities (200)Communities (200)
Health centers (20)Health centers (20)
A referral hospital (1)A referral hospital (1)
Health Zones Health Zones and Health Care and Health Care
in DR Congoin DR Congo
The Health Zone of Nyanga (West Kasai Province)
NYANGA
A Typical Health Zone Reference Hospital
HZ OfficeHealth Centers
Defined from the bottom upDefined from the bottom up
Survive by local initiatives and Survive by local initiatives and auto-financingauto-financing
Well positioned as “middle-out” Well positioned as “middle-out” development agentsdevelopment agents
2) HZs are s2) HZs are strongly decentralizedtrongly decentralized
400 Hospitals in Congo (c. 1973)
1975-1981
1982-1983: SANRU I begins
1984-1985
3) Health Zones are often 3) Health Zones are often co-managed by FBOsco-managed by FBOs
Very good collaboration between the MOH and FBOs
FBOs are not confused with the for-FBOs are not confused with the for-profit private sectorprofit private sector
50% of HZs co-managed by FBOs
FBO/NGO Co-managed Health ZonesFBO/NGO Co-managed Health Zones
306 306 Health Health ZonesZones
515 515 Health Health ZonesZones
Populations Served by Mennonite Co-Managed Health Zones
Health Zone Population
Kajiji 150,000
Mukedi 160,000
Kalonda-Ouest 220,000
Mutena 130,000
Ndjokopunda 120,000
Nyanga 100,000
Banga 85,000
965,000
The I.M.A./ECC Congo Projects
ECC-I.M.A ECC-I.M.A
PMURR/SANTEPMURR/SANTESANRU IIISANRU III
Project GoalsSANRU & PMURR
Strengthen and sustain the capacity of health zones to provide and manage priority primary health care interventions.
Four NGO Development Strategies
From From Getting to the 21st CenturyGetting to the 21st Century by David Korten by David Korten
1) Exclusive Breastfeeding
2) Vaccinate completely
3) Vitamin A twice a year
4) Sleeping under bednets (ITN)
5) Prompt treatment for fevers
6) Oral Rehydration Therapy for diarrhea
7) Washing hands regularly
8) Prenatal preventive treatment of malaria
9) Child Spacing
10) Abstinence and loyalty to avoid AIDS
Priority PHC Interventions
SANRU & PMURR 75 Health Zones
A Typical Health Center in Kalonda Health Zone
Rehabilitation Efforts in Collaboration with SANRU
Well Baby ClinicsVaccinations, Vitamin A, Growth Monitoring, Health Education
Two Questions
1) What assistance can and should N. 1) What assistance can and should N. American Mennonites provide to American Mennonites provide to help with this work?help with this work?
2) What effective mechanisms could 2) What effective mechanisms could get that assistance where it can do get that assistance where it can do the most good?the most good?
Possible Strategies
1)1) Encourage the new Partnership Council to put Encourage the new Partnership Council to put health care on its development agendahealth care on its development agenda
2)2) Strengthen the role of CMCO & CFMC in the Strengthen the role of CMCO & CFMC in the co-management of health zonesco-management of health zones
3)3) Organize informational mtgs. of N. Amer. Organize informational mtgs. of N. Amer. partners to discuss how they can help. partners to discuss how they can help.
4) Compare sustainable systems development strategies with other denominations
5) Coordinate assistance with I.M.A./ECC’s SANRU and PMURR projects
Santé Santé Pour Tous Pour Tous et par Touset par Tous