Bongolo Eye Hospital

Bongolo Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Africa that has an ophthalmology program. Because of their unique specialty and high demand, Bongolo Hospital desired a specialized and dedicated building for the eye department. The hospital began the ophthalmology (eye surgery) postdoctoral residency program in 2009. Today, they perform about 70% of all cataract surgeries in Gabon. The need for eye surgeons in Africa is great (1 ophthalmologist per million people), and their vision is to train Christian ophthalmologists who will proclaim Jesus, restoring spiritual sight side by side with physical sight as they serve their patients. The EMI-designed Eye Hospital was designed and constructed to meet this purpose.  

In order to build the Eye Hospital, Bongolo Hospital was awarded an ASHA grant through USAID. The funding required consideration of environmental conditions such as water quality, fire safety, power operation and maintenance, metal building maintenance, and waste water management. EMI provided assistance in order to meet these requirements and receive the grant for construction.