Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Fides Service)- “In 2005 the people of Nuba Mountains will have a Catholic hospital at their service. We are building the hospital thanks to solidarity from many people” Bishop Macram Max Gassis of El Obeid in Sudan told Fides. The people in the central Nuba Mountain region are isolated from the rest of the country and after years of civil war their situation is desperate. Thanks to a cease fire agreement which has held for a few years now El Obeid is rebuilding structures to provide basic services, water, education, medical care.
“We have dug about 100 wells and our hospital is nearing completion. The job is a titanic undertaking because some building materials come from Italy thanks to an Italian maritime operator. Containers arrive in Kenya and are then embarked on aircraft for transport to the Nuba Mountains. The funny things is that the aircraft are Antonov planes, the same model as those used by government airforce to bomb civilians!” the Bishop told Fides.
“We are deeply grateful to the architect, Paolo Cattaneo from Legnano and his assistant who planned the building and have made several visits here to supervise the building, and all free of charge. The builder, also Italian, Luigi Gurnati with his son and another assistant are building the hospital with the help of local workers. We asked the local people to make the bricks. But we had to import iron and cement which are not available here” the Bishop said.
“We have completed 3 wings and the 4th should be ready by the new year which means we will be able to open the hospital before the end of 2005. It will have two operating theatres, one for general surgery and the other for difficult deliveries. Several Italian hospitals are helping to find and send equipment, mainly put aside to install more modern machines. In Africa we have no need of the latest technological inventions, all we need is equipment which works and is easy to use. And our Italian friends are seeing to this” the Bishop said. “The hospital will have about 30 beds. Actually we already have 150 beds and the rest we have promised to the Sisters who run Mother Teresa’s Dispensary for the Dinka people”.
“The doctors will be Italian and American, the latter sent by an association of Catholic doctors in Pennsylvania. Besides treating patients the doctors will train local nurses and midwives. The hospital will have a school for nurses, and I would like to emphasise that it will teach medical care according to Catholic ethics. We are in fact deeply concerned about the spread of HIV/AIDS. With the cease fire thousands of refugees are returning from camps after living in promiscuous conditions. Many return HIV+ and present a serious risk of contagion for the local people here. We need to launch a campaign of education and prevention in the light of Catholic Church teaching” the Bishop told Fides
Lastly he voiced his opinion with regard to the future and evangelisation in Sudan: “Now that peace is in sight, it is time to think of mission in southern Sudan where religious sects are prolific and well funded”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/10/2004 righe 44 parole 557)
