Centre de Santé Nimatoullah d’Angre Mahou
Our Health Center in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), opened in October of 2005 with the mission to provide excellent and affordable primary health care services (both preventive and acute care interventions) to local people marginalized from mainstream society by poverty, religion or ethnicity. We strive to do so with compassion and in a spirit of loving-kindness and generosity that stresses the fraternity and equality of all human beings.
Staff includes nurses and aides, medical generalists, a pediatrician, two mid-wives and part-time physicians with the following specialties: surgery, hematology, diabetology, dermatology, rheumatology, urology, neurology, ophthalmology and cardiology. Preventive medicine, routine care, including pre-natal consultations, and emergency services, are all provided at reasonable fees. Persons with extremely limited financial resources are given care and medications without charge. Additionally, voluntary HIV counseling and testing are offered and comprehensive care is provided for persons living with HIV.
In 2006 some 2000 patients were given care and we have almost doubled that number in 2007 with the majority of persons coming for adult internal medicine services. Client contacts in 2008 continue to increase monthly as our reputation for excellence and respect for the dignity of each individual spreads. We are also reaching out to community leaders for assistance in bringing to care persons who otherwise would not receive basic health services. Common diagnoses include malaria, hypertension, diabetes and infections (gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and skin).
Our facility has 8 in-patient day beds, 4 consultation rooms, a birthing room, a pharmacy, a laboratory and a small surgical suite. At this time our birthing room and operating suite are not functional due to equipment shortages. Our laboratory is rudimentary so many patients must be referred to other more expensive facilities for blood work and radiological tests. We have a vehicle to assist them in transportation to and from our Center in order to receive these essential services while continuing to get their basic care from us. However, for financial reasons many choose to forego the laboratory evaluations. Our goal is to obtain the necessary equipment to run a birthing center and small laboratory to provide affordable basic services to those in greatest need. We have applied for a grant from the European Union to fund our work and have passed the initial jury and await final word.
If you are interested in volunteering or making a tax-deductible donation, write to Carol Martinez Weber, M.D. at
306 West 11th Street, New York, NY 1014-2369
or
email: cmartinez150@gmail.com
Côte d'Ivoire is a republic situated on the West Africa coast between Liberia and Ghana. It is also bordered by Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Its economy is largely market-based and relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash crop production being dominant. Principle exports are petroleum, cocoa, coffee, cotton, pineapples, tuna, and tropical woods. Within this small nation there are over 60 ethnic groups represented each with its own rich culture and language. Although Côte d'Ivoire established itself as one of the most successful West African nations with some 20% of the population (about 3.4 million) being foreign workers, recent political unrest has undermined the local and regional economy.