Primary Hospital Denbi, a new step in the development of medical care.

Background

Over the past 10 years, the Denbi Foundation has worked to provide assistance to poor residents of the hinterland of central Ethiopia. This work has led to the construction of a clinic where help is given to pregnant women and newborn children. Since 2018, this has taken place in a basic clinic where women are supervised during pregnancy and can also give birth. From the experience of the past few years, it has become clear that there is a great need to expand the care offer and further professionalize medical care. If complications arise during childbirth or other hospital care is needed, people have to travel a long way from Denbi. There is often no money for this and the care provided in the city does not always meet expectations either. To meet this demand, the desire arose to develop a basic hospital, a Primary Hospital. The current primary clinic will continue to exist. When the realization of the hospital will be completed, ideally the current care will be transferred from the clinic to the hospital. The other projects of the Denbi Foundation will also continue and be developed.

De realisatie

The board of Denbi Foundation supports the hospital's plans. Because the board's expertise lies mainly in projects in the agricultural sector and construction, a group of people was sought with more expertise that fits a hospital. In order to guarantee the design of the hospital and its operation, a new foundation has been formed, Denbi Hospital Foundation Ethiopia (Denhofe). www.denhofe.nl. This foundation is run by its own board with people who have medical or financial backgrounds. A nurse, doctors and accountant serve on the board. Both boards work from the same religious background and have the same goal in mind: helping the poor population of Debre Zeit. Both boards also continue to work closely together and keep each other informed of each other's activities.

Meanwhile, work is underway to set up a project plan. This will be supported by a project agency that has experience with such projects in Ethiopia.

Work in progress

The contours of the hospital are now becoming visible in the first building sketches. In cooperation with local and national authorities, a permit has now been obtained for the construction of the hospital. The building plot has also been determined and released by the authorities. It is intended that the hospital will be able to offer a wider range of general medical care in addition to mother and child care.

In addition, work is underway to set up a governance structure for the hospital and to consider which departments will have a place in the hospital. There will be an emergency room, 2 operating rooms, outpatient clinics and several nursing departments.

A funding plan is also being developed to make the plan financially possible. The goal is to achieve a balanced budget after a few years in which the hospital will eventually no longer depend on donations.

The two nurses of the first hour, Aberash Alemayehu and Berdien Coster, are directly involved in the development of the hospital. They will also soon be working in the hospital, ensuring continuity of care of the clinic now and the hospital in the future.