First Aid Fund for Patients of the Blood Dialysis Centre in Bangui
Health care in the CAR is always paid, there is basically no social system and the functioning of the state in this area is supported by various non-governmental organizations. Medical fees are high, especially for blood dialysis. One session costs the patient 30 €, the State finance 150 € to that. Most patients need 3 sessions per week. For most young patients, that need the care urgently, is this amount too high and the care becomes inacessible.
The blood dialysis centre in Bangui started operating in 2022 and is the first clinic of its kind in the country. It was set up by the state after the first local specialist returned after his studies. It is Dr. Cédric Ouanekpone, whom SIRIRI has long supported throughout his studies.
The center is visited by chronic patients who have been able to return home from neighboring countries after several years of health care overthere.
But there are also urgent cases. These are patients who need blood dialysis quickly and urgently – for example, women who have health problems after giving birth or young people who have had an infection. In these cases, 4-5 sessions are enough for patients to recover completely. Unfortunately, it has happened several times that patients did not have the financial means for treatment and died prematurely. The aim of this project is to help 15-20 urgent cases per year..
At SIRIRI, we have therefore decided to extend the first aid fund to the poor patients of this clinic. The fund has been operating since 2013 in Bozoum, Bouar and now also in Baoro and in Yolé. We helped already hundreds of poor people to obtain some medical care for diseases of every day life like malaria, infections or broken bones.
Dr. Cédric Ouanekpone will inform us about the individual stories of patients who found themselves in a hopeless situation and to whom he was able to help thanks to SIRIRI and our donors..
End 2023, a 9-minutes documentary about Dr. Cedric was made. It was released the 28th January 2024 after a short ceremony in Prague. You can watch it online in English on our Youtube Channel.
The project is funded by SIRIRI in 2024 with EUR 2000.