Project implemented during the 2019–2020 academic year
The Republic of Cameroon is a country located in Central Africa, bordering Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. It is characterized by a remarkable diversity of landscapes, including beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. Its main cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. More than two hundred ethnic and linguistic groups live in the country, although French and English are the official languages.
Access to healthcare in Cameroon remains limited for a large part of the population. The healthcare system is largely fee-based and lacks the infrastructure and coverage needed to meet all healthcare needs. As a result, many people rely on non-profit medical centers operated by religious congregations and NGOs, which provide care based on principles of universal access and solidarity.
These facilities face significant challenges, including shortages of funding, medical supplies, healthcare professionals, and the deterioration of infrastructure caused by aging buildings and harsh weather conditions.
Cameroon continues to combat major public health challenges, including HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, polio, rubella, and high maternal mortality rates. The country ranks among the twenty nations with the highest under-five mortality rates worldwide, with approximately 148 deaths per 1,000 live births. Malaria alone accounts for around 40% of all deaths among children under five.
At the national level, approximately 30.7% of the population lacks access to safe drinking water, while 66.9% lacks adequate sanitation services, contributing to recurrent outbreaks of cholera and other preventable diseases.
The project
Saint Dominique Catholic Medical Center de Djunang, ubicado en la zona occidental de Camerún, cubre una zona geográfica de 5.000 mil habitantes, es una organización católica sin fines de lucro creada en 1988 para cubrir las necesidades de los más vulnerables.
The Saint Dominique Catholic Medical Center in Djunang, located in western Cameroon, serves a geographic area of approximately 5,000 inhabitants. Established in 1988, this non-profit Catholic healthcare facility was created to provide medical services to the most vulnerable members of the population. Operating in a complex and resource-constrained environment, the Center must respond to a wide range of health and social needs with very limited resources. Providing medical care remains the highest priority, and the constant demand for consultations, emergency care, examinations, and treatments often leaves little capacity to address other essential needs, including infrastructure maintenance.
The hospital’s clinical block includes a reception area, consultation rooms, laboratory, blood bank, pharmacy, and diagnostic imaging services. The inpatient department includes an operating theater, treatment rooms, ophthalmology services, dental care, physiotherapy, prenatal consultations, and 52 inpatient beds.
Objective
To repair the roof slab of the Saint Dominique Medical Center, ensuring the safety and structural integrity of the facility.
This intervention will prevent the risk of structural collapse and protect the building’s capacity to continue providing hospitalization and essential healthcare services to the population it serves.
Beneficiaries: Approximately 2,000 people per year, including healthcare staff and patients receiving medical services.
More than 20,000 people who rely on the hospital as a key healthcare reference center in the region.
Total project budget: €2,529.16