Benoît-Pierre Ligot

My mission to the North Kivu Provincial Hospital (HPNK) in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, which began on November 6, 2023, aimed to define the medical equipment needs of the departments involved in the rehabilitation and construction work carried out as part of the HPNK+ project led by ULB-Coopération, as well as to provide project management support for the integration of heavy medical equipment or equipment that has an impact on the structure.

As there were two objectives, it was necessary to conduct an audit of existing equipment that could be reused and to define requirements with department heads and medical users. This meant that I had to visit the various medical and support departments at HPNK. Each time, the medical, administrative, and logistics teams were very welcoming, and the staff, who were always very engaged, were heavily involved in the discussions. They didn’t hesitate to ask me to conduct a few crash training sessions and repair some equipment, such as the resuscitation ventilators in the intensive care unit. I particularly appreciate this kind of request from a department that is motivated and eager to learn more about the medical equipment in their facility.

The mission ended about ten days later, and enabled us to draw up a list of the medical equipment needed to continue the project. The mission went extremely well, thanks in particular to the support and assistance provided by the members of ULB-Coopération. For me, it was a very enriching experience, both professionally and personally. The relevance of the project led by ULB-Coopération and the richness of the exchanges with the staff make me want to continue to be involved in the project if the opportunity arises again!

The projects