AFRICA/TOGO – Small hospital in the suburbs of an indigenous religious institute at the service of the population
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
SMA
Lomè (Agenzia Fides) – The ‘Msgr. Joseph Strebler’, is a small field hospital belonging to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Church (NDE), an indigenous religious institute founded on August 15, 1952 in Noépé, Togo, by the then Apostolic Vicar of Lomé Joseph Strebler (SMA).
“We are in the large suburbs towards Benin, in the Adamavo Baguida neighborhood, where there is a parish entrusted to the fathers of the Society for African Missions – writes Father Silvano Galli, a missionary in Lomè. The hospital is located a few blocks from the Church and offers a series of basic services. In addition to routine check-ups – he explains – the center offers assistance to patients with HIV, all nursing and microsurgery services. Inside there is also a laboratory where all kinds of blood tests are carried out, a bacteriological unit, a rehabilitation center and a pharmacy”.
This small field hospital, as it is called, constitutes a fundamental service. In the country, public health facilities, lacking means, do not work or work poorly. Lack of qualified staff and professionalism. That is why private clinics flourish, but are expensive and most people cannot use them. So they turn to religious structures where they are well received and it doesn’t cost them much. “When you arrive, you pay 1,000 francs (one euro and fifty) and the procedure begins: measurement of blood pressure, weight, temperature ecc…”, explains Father Galli.
Recent data from the hospital, where 43 people work, report that every month 358 children under the age of five and 592 over the age of five are cared for at the Strebler Centre.
The most common diseases are malaria, anemia, gastroenteritis, digestive parasitosis, dermatoses, articular rheumatism, traumatic ulcers and neonatal infections. There are also 150 prenatal visits per month. Births are 40/45 per month. “It is amazing how many pregnant women and mothers with children come and go regularly to get vaccinated and receive various boosters. The missionaries also use the services of the medical center, I too have been there recently and have been able to see the various activities and services that are offered”, concludes Father Galli. (SG) (Agenzia Fides, 15/2/2023)
SMA
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Publish date : 2023-02-15 08:00:00
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