Congo series (2): West Flemish people help make Reginald Moreels’ life dream come true
The expertise center for high-quality surgery and obstetrics in Beni was created by the non-profit organization Unichir, which has its registered office in Bredene. Beni has more than 1 million people and is a blind spot for aid workers because rebel groups sow terror there. Dr. Moreels has already completed 26 missions and saw the need for medical assistance. The Unichir non-profit organization he founded wants to go where no one else goes. Jan Goossens, director of Unichir: “Doctor Moreels saw during his previous missions that many people were in very bad shape. So the young doctors benefit greatly from being well trained to do basic surgery.”
Lots of support
Unichir received support from all sides. Years of work have been done and now the center is there. All efforts have paid off. AZ St-Jan in Bruges promises Unichir 3 years of financial, logistical and medical support. Dirk De fauw, chairman of the AZ St-Jan Bruges working group: “We want to send doctors here to help with operations, including nurses and technicians. Everyone is welcome to contribute as a volunteer to make this new center up and running.”
(continue reading below the photo)
And there will also be a line for medical consultation between AZ Sint-Jan in Bruges and the Unichir Center in Beni. Birgit Loveniers, anesthesiologist AZ St-Jan Bruges: “We will discuss the difficult cases and then pass on our advice via teleconference, via the multimedia channels. The presence will not always be necessary, but in any case the surgical disciplines will be physically present now and then if we expand that further.”
Future
So preparing for the future is a must. Cédric Kalongo is a young doctor who, with the support of Unichir, starts his studies in orthopedic surgery in Uganda. Cédric Kalongo, orthopedist in training: “I am very excited because it is something that is important for the population. Now I notice in practice that the results are not always successful, due to a lack of personnel and good technology.”