Bongolo Hospital – Gabon

Bongolo Hospital was established in 1977, when Dr David Thompson, a surgeon, and two nurses arrived serving with the C&MA, soon what was a local dispensary grew to full-service hospital with a nursing school.  Today, Bongolo is a 158-bed hospital in the rural town of Lebamba caring for around 40,000 patients a year.  They are a full-service hospital with an emergency department, adult and pediatric medical wards, maternity and neonatal care.  There is also a busy ophthalmology department, a dental clinic and full- service HIV, TB, program.

Bongolo is the facility where Dr. David Thompson started the first PAACS training program. There is a PAACS surgical residency program at the facility. Bongolo remains a busy surgical training program today, they also train nurses and midwives. Christian Health Service missionary physicians currently working at Bongolo Hospital are Dr. Alicia Stone and Dr. David and Dr. Josie Skavdahl. Dr. David Skavdahl is a general surgeon serving as attending faculty in the surgical residency program training the next generation of African surgeons. Josie services in neonatal care and training Gabonese midwives. Dr. Alicia Stone is an OB/GYN passionate about caring for young mothers, and training midwives.