Dear Friends,

A few days ago, I arrived at our maternity to find a woman who had just been transferred from the Catholic maternity, Ntambue. The good sisters were concerned, as she had been trying to push her baby out for about six hours, and it was not coming. We were able to help her to a natural childbirth within another 15 minutes, a health baby boy. As we left the delivery room we were met by an old woman who had her hand open and outstretched saying "tuasakidila" ("thank you") over and over. She was the mother of the woman who had just delivered. I went over and took her hands. She fell to her knees prostrating herself before us then crawled to each of us to touch us and say thank you. Crying was not optional—it was mandatory with such a scene. Here, people don’t expect to survive childbirth nor have a child that does. Each and every time someone lives through childbirth, it is God’s blessing, and they celebrate that. The relief, joy, and gratitude of this new grandmother and of her daughter, who also thanked me, are expressions that belong to God and to you, as it is his call and your support that allow me to be present to witness to His work and to yours.

In this newsletter, we want to focus on the hospital, Bon Berger, and in later newsletters on the village of Nkonko, which is its neighbor. Good Shepherd Hospital is the reference hospital for this health zone. The health-care system of Congo is made up of health zones each with a reference hospital and health centers distributed throughout an area of about 50 by 30 miles. We are also a major teaching institution, with medical students doing clinical rotations and a family practice residency program. We also have a nursing and lab technician school. While in Kinshasa, the capital, last month I had the opportunity to see the extent of its influence as I toured various facilities and met person after person who had been trained in our institution. IMCK and Good Shepherd have contributed greatly to the health care system of Congo.

The health-care system is like a spoked wheel with the reference hospital at the hub of each zone and the spokes leading from the hub to each of the health centers, or "centres de santé." The health centers are staffed by one or two nurses and may have midwives, formally trained or not, as well. They are the first entry for health care, and when they have a serious problem, they send the person to the reference hospital. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, these health centers are in the bush, many hours bike ride or days walk in some cases. Referrals are uncommon, and in the case of pregnancy, often too late for the child. A great emphasis is being placed on public and preventative health care, which it is hoped will reduce illness at much less cost than the therapeutic care practiced at the hospital.

One aspect of preventive care relating to women’s health is prenatal care. Good prenatal care can identify potential problems before disasters occur. A good nurse might discover a pelvis too small or a baby in an incorrect position and refer the woman on to our hospital. Likewise, recognizing labors that are not progressing can allow intervention. Each of these cases requires a functioning hospital, as preventative care in obstetrics does not prevent the baby from being too large for the pelvis or being in a bad position, and it does not prevent a placenta from bleeding or separating. A high-level hospital is needed to reduce the harm from problems that cannot be prevented and also to teach new doctors and nurses to identify and deal with these problems. Good Shepherd is such a hospital. Neither new mothers nor their babies should die for lack of care that is so basic and simple. In this metropolitan area of 500,000 people, we are the only functional hospital that can respond to that need. When I go to bed at night hoping for some rest after a long day, I pray that those in need can make it here, as I will gladly trade that night of sleep for their lives.

We thank you for making that possible!

Tuasakidila!

Mike and Nancy

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 29