Grace Hospital
The Grace Hospital Staff, led by surgeon Dr. Jean Claude and his wife Dr. Christine. The team also includes another senior doctor as well as four junior doctors in training, a midwife, a lab technician, and 3 nurses.
Grace Hospital is a new Christian medical ministry run by Grace Ministries DRC based in the fast-growing city of Isiro in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Grace Hospital was formally opened in January of 2023, offering surgical, OB/GYN, outpatient primary care capabilities, and chaplaincy services with an in-patient capacity of 15 beds. Isiro has exploded in population in recent years, driven partly by people fleeing the ongoing violence in nearby provinces. This rapid population growth has left the city’s healthcare needs woefully underserved. Grace Hospital has begun doing what it can by opening as quickly as possible and has been inundated by patients seeking care.
PIEI is partnering with Grace ministries to raise funds for critical equipment and infrastructure needs at the new hospital and for the personal support of Dr. Jean Claude Bateneni and his wife, Dr. Christine. Currently, the top priority is mobilizing funds for the ongoing emergency room building construction.
Dr. Jean Claude performing surgery in the Grace Hospital OR. Dr. Jean Claude is the only fully accredited surgeon in his province of over 2 million people. The nearest hospital with a surgeon is over 300 miles away.
Grace Hospital has three primary objectives; to provide high-quality healthcare, to be a training center of excellence, and to be an effective driver of evangelism.
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Grace Hospital offers quality surgery, outpatient and maternity services, and 24/7 doctor and nurse presence (otherwise non-existent in Isiro). Patients are seen expeditiously and treated with Christian compassion and high-quality care. Jean Claude Bataneni is the only residency-trained surgeon for over 100 miles radius (300 miles by road).
According to the World Bank, there is a general shortage of healthcare professionals of all specialties in the DRC, and the quantity and quality of care is worsening. The DRC has 1% of the doctors and nurses we have in the USA per capita. North Eastern DRC is the poorest and least developed area of the DRC.
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Grace Ministries’ vision to establish a training center of excellence is initially focused on providing opportunities for local medical school graduates to gain experience and skills in an environment of medical excellence and Christian charitable ethics. This is already happening, as several junior doctors (what we would consider as residents) have eagerly joined the medical staff.
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Due to the rapid growth of Isiro’s population, evangelization and church planting in the increasingly urban environment of Isiro has been identified as a priority of the local church. The church leadership sees Grace Hospital as a key tool for spreading the gospel and it has been fully integrated with the local Christian healthcare system. Grace Hospital has a full-time chaplain who disciples the staff, actively shares the gospel with patients and their families, and provides counseling and prayer support.