Mbingo 2021

We just returned from a trip to Mbingo Baptist Hospital after not being able to go for a few years. The kids could not join us this time due to the ongoing conflict in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. Here are some pictures from the trip and some updates on how things are going at Mbingo.

This is a group picture of most of the CIMS (Christian Internal Medicine Specialization) residents. As we have said before it is a 4 year residency and the hospital is taking 4 residents each year. They have all done medical school (mostly in Cameroon) and will graduate the residency as internal medicine physicians and work in Cameroon. The program is now over 10 years old and the quality of the graduating physicians is outstanding. We are proud of the hard work they have put in and the mature Christian doctors they are becoming.

These pictures show Angela rounding with the residents on a child in the ICU. The residents learn some pediatrics during residency as well since there is unlikely to be a pediatrician at the hospital where they end up working. This child was transferred to Mbingo with seizures due to severe uremia from renal failure. The child was started on peritoneal dialysis and ultimately recovered renal function. The next pictures show Angela teaching in conference and then giving a hands on class on newborn resuscitation. During the time at Mbingo, Angela also finished updating the pediatric and neonatal handbooks that she helped create for the hospitals in Cameroon.

The first picture shows Chuck at the bedside with Dr. Evinda and Dr. Chop, two residents in the CIMS program. Chuck is doing some teaching on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). This is a valuable tool anywhere, but even more so in Cameroon where other diagnostic options are more limited. The second picture is Chuck working with Dr. Tumi on an EGD. Dr. Tumi is a CIMS graduate who is now on faculty. Chuck helped train him in endoscopy years ago and now he is in charge of endoscopy and trains the residents. This case was especially difficult with a child who had a caustic ingestion with esophageal damage and stricture. The third picture is Chuck giving a lecture during one of the teaching conferences.

These picture are of the 2 dams that are a part of the hydroelectric project at Mbingo. This is a massive undertaking and is now almost complete. Power has always been a problem at Mbingo, but has only gotten worse. The power supply from the country grid is unreliable. It is off and on frequently and rarely supplies the stable current needed to protect expensive hospital equipment. This requires the hospital to often run a diesel generator that is expensive to operate and can sometimes break. The hydroelectric project will supply power for the hospital in the future and resolve these issues. The first picture shows the pipe leaving the first dam. The second picture shows the back of the front dam with it currently drained. When the gate is closed, all of that area will be underwater. The pipe travels all the way down the mountain (>1000 foot drop) and ultimately turns a turbine that creates power. This dam and pipe would be all that is needed most of the year during the rainy season. However, due to the few months of dry season, the front dam could run too dry, so the third picture shows the back dam that can supply water to the front dam during the dry season. It is amazing that all of this work was done in 14 months and now is almost finished.

We were able to take the CIMS residents and others on a hike to see the front and back dams as well as the back waterfall. It was almost 10 miles and we got caught in some rain on the way home, but that is all part of hiking in Cameroon. The first picture is the group sitting on the front dam. The second picture is some of the muddy hiking it takes to get to the back dam. The third picture is Chuck with the CIMS residents that could join us in front of the back waterfall. This is one of our favorite places to hike to at Mbingo.

It was so great to be back at Mbingo with our Cameroonian family. The work at the hospital to serve those most in need while showing the love of Christ continues at Mbingo. Despite the challenges of the ongoing conflict, power issues, or just limited resources, the CIMS residents and other staff at the hospital continue each day to serve their patients and improve the quality of care at Mbingo. We are thankful to God that He has called us to serve alongside them. Please continue to pray for the hospital and the country of Cameroon.