Maria Mazuecos

Centre Hospitalier Monkole

■ The Centre Hospitalier Mère-Enfant Monkole, CHME Monkole in abbreviation, is located west of Kinshasa in the Commune of Mont-Ngafula where the population is estimated at 500,000 inhabitants ■ Promoted by the Centre Congolais de Culture, de Formation et de Développement (CECFOR), a non-profit association, the Centre Hospitalier Mère-Enfant Monkole was initiated in 1989 by a group of Congolese and some European residents in Kinshasa who considered that the medical situation in the Mont-Ngafula area needed to be supported mainly in the fields of maternity and paediatrics. ■ Following an ever-increasing demand from its environment, the CHME Monkole has since worked with a view to expanding. In 2007, the construction work was started on a large building of 15,000 m2 with a capacity of 158 beds. Part of this building (9,000 m2) was inaugurated in June 2014 and has 110 beds. In June 2018, the new Operating Room with 5 rooms and the new Resuscitation Unit with 9 boxes were inaugurated. ■ In March 2001, the CHME Monkole was established as the General Reference Hospital of the Mont-Ngafula Health Zone. This new course was sealed by a partnership agreement signed with the Ministry of Public Health in the DRC. ■ With the purpose to get more Congolese people, especially the vulnerable ones, have access to health care of quality, the CHME Monkole has set up 3 health centers in 3 suburbs of Mont-Ngafula township: 1. the Centre de santé Kimbondo (located in Kimbondo outskirt), 2. the Centre de santé Moluka (located in Herady township) and 3. the Centre de santé Eliba (located in Kindele outskirt). ■ In sum, in 2018, the CHME Monkole and its health centres have treated over 139,435 patients.