The Institut Médical Chrétien du Kasai or Christian Medical Institute of Kasai (IMCK) is located in Tshikaji, Democratic Republic of Congo and was founded in 1954. IMCK consists of the Good Shepherd Hospital, related medical clinics and schools.
Together, these institutions provide vital medical care and training for the people of Tshikaji village and the larger nearby city of Kananga in the Kasai district. This area is challenged by political instability, civil strife, a very weak economy and an influx of refugees from Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan. IMCK is a haven of hope and healing for people needing medical care in a country where the per capita income is $889. No one is denied care for an inability to pay at Good Shepherd Hospital.
The hospital is rated as one of the top hospitals in DR Congo. Doctors at IMCK treat communicable diseases like malaria, AIDS and TB, but also increasingly treat diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal patients. The surgery schedule is quite busy with OB/GYN, orthopedic and trauma surgeries. The hospital has become known for its leadership in obstetric fistula repair, a devastating condition that affects nearly 2 million women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. There are seven Congolese physicians on staff at IMCK with an eighth completing a residency to become an OB/GYN.
The Polyclinique is a clinic situated in downtown Kananga. Sometimes simply called the PAX clinic (named after the PAX Hotel whose building the clinic has occupied since 1981), the facility includes the Women’s Health Center which offers OB/GYN consultations as well as maternity and surgical facilities.
Pediatric patient in traction at Good Shepherd Hospital
Pediatric patient receiving rehabilitation services due to paralysis of the spine caused by TB.
Though it’s hard to get an exact count, estimates are that 15% of the children under the age of 18 in the Democratic Republic of Congo are orphans. Many are double orphaned, having lost their Mom and Dad to violence, then subsequently found refuge with other family members or friends, only to lose those caregivers to further violence or disease. Their situation is perilous unless others intervene.
This is Camen. She is a 13-year-old orphan. Camen’s wrist became damaged when she suffered from meningitis as a younger child. For years she has dealt with a wrist that doesn’t work properly. Thanks to donors who invest in medical care for the Congolese people, Camen will have surgery to correct her wrist alignment.
Delivery room at IMCK Good Shepherd Hospital.
Workers receive shipments of PPE to protect the staff and patients at Good Shepherd Hospital.
