Fistula projects
The fistula project funded by Engenderhealth / USAID has been in place since February 2009, with the two main objectives to repair fistula and train medical staff. The plan is to repair 620 fistulas until May 2011 and up until December 2010 the hospital has performed 568 fistula surgeries.
Doctors are trained in fistula repair and nurses in pre-operation, operation and post-operation. In addition midwives are trained in working and following parthogram to prevent fistulas at labour.
During the first year 4 physicians were trained in repairing simple fistulas, and 8 nurses and 10 midwives got strengthened competence. During 2010 7 doctors have been trained in performing more complex cases of fistula operations and 14 nurses took part in the project’s training program.
To ensure a good continuation there are also follow ups of the physicians, nurses and midwives when they are back in their own respective working areas. The fistula project will be renewed for one year from June 2011.
Fistula Project- Fistula Foundation
The project is funded by The Fistula Foundation since 2009. The main objective of the project is to enhance the capacity at Panzi Hospital to take care of women living with fistula.
It includes outreach missions where staff meet women in their villages, to treat them and to raise awareness about fistula and to inform them where and how to get treatment. The outreach team collaborate with local partners such as NGO’s, churches and health institutions.
The team performs fistula surgery on the field and selects others, more severe, fistula cases to be referred to the Panzi Hospital.
Reparations have been performed at Lemera, Luvungi, Nundu (in the south part of the province), Kindu (in the Maniema province) and Kalemie, Kongolo in North Katanga province.
Cost for women who are referred to Panzi Hospital are also included in the project, and 15 persons are employed within the project.
Nutrition project
The nutrition project for malnourished children started at Panzi Hospital in the year 2000 with support from the Swedish NGO PMU, in collaboration with 8th CEPAC (pentacostal church organization). The nutrition project is supported by the WFP and UNICEF which provides the project with food and therapeutic milk and essential drugs. Since 2005 the Swedish organization Läkarmissionen also supports the project.
Panzi Hospital has a monthly average of 50 new cases of severe malnutrition associated with complications like anemia, diarrhea, vomiting, infections, dehydration and lack of appetite.
The nutrition project includes prevention activities such as nutritional awareness among parents about methods against malnutrition. The staff does home visits and there is also a component of cultivation trainings within the project.
The experience shows that the causes of malnutrition are multiple for example, inaccessibility to enough food for displaced families in the town of Bukavu, lack of family planning and good practice in breastfeeding. 80 % of the registered children in the project are malnourished because of not eating enough protein due to extreme poverty.
Hiv/aids project
Since 2007 Stephen Lewis Foundation has founded a hiv/aids-project at Panzi Hospital. Today the project is treating more than 1000 adults and children. The patients come from the Survivors of sexual violence’s project, Panzi Hospital’s primary care, outreach activities in churches and schools, and other hospitals and NGOs. The project offers the following services; pediatrics, maternity service, nutrition of inpatients, anti-retroviral treatment center, Volunteer test center (VCT), Laboratory, Security blood transfusion center. The project also includes social activities such as micro-credits and school equipment and fees for students. With the mobile visiting program Panzi’s staff is able to perform counseling and hiv-tests in villages outside Bukavu.
There are few actors in South Kivu responding to the actual need of treatment for people living with hiv/aids which leads to a large number seeking help at Panzi Hospital.
SSV project
Gynecological and Medical Treatment and Psychosocial Assistance to Survivors of Sexual Violence in Eastern DR Congo.
The SSV project at the Panzi Hospital has been providing medical and psycho-social assistance to survivors of sexual violence and women with severe gynecological conditions since 2004. During this period the project has admitted over 24 000 patients whereof more than 14 000 have been survivors of sexual violence. The project is funded by ECHO and Sida and implemented by PMU (the Swedish Pentecostal Mission’s Relief and Development Agency).
When a patient arrives at the hospital, she or he will be greeted by one of Panzi’s social assistants. A team of medical doctors, psychologists, nurses and trainers then work together to ensure that she receives the care that she needs. Apart from medical care the daily routine includes devotions and group therapy as well as various activities such as sewing, making baskets and literacy training. As a part of the treatment at the hospital there is also additional family mediation, where one of the social assistants accompanies the patient back home.
The project also extends to rural areas through training of local health personnel in prevention and treatment of gynecological conditions. This is essential in order to reduce the high number of fistula and other conditions related to inadequate maternal care in South Kivu.
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
Water Project
The hospital has its own collection system of rainwater from the rooftops that are pumped into a reservoir. This contribution is very small however and the water problem is significant and a barrier to conduct normal health care. The water from the municipal water network is more or less non-existent and the daily transport takes place with the hospital’s truck from tap stations in the city.
The water project, financed by NCA, is aimed to get water from the sources in the Panzi hills with an agreement with the local population, who also will get improved water supply through the constructions.
