MarĂa Esteve, a JCONGD volunteer and Technical Supervisor of Phase III of the SJD Orthopedic Clinic in Douala, tells us how the work is progressing to launch the third phase, which will allow the construction of the operating room and hospitalization area for the St. John of God Orthopedic Clinic in Yassa, Douala.
To give some background, the project to build the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Clinic in Yassa, Douala, to improve healthcare services for a larger number of beneficiaries, consists of several phases. The first two phases included the construction of module 1 of general services and Module 2, of rehabilitationBoth have been successfully completed and are operational, but an operating room and hospitalization area is urgently needed to meet more needs and provide more healthcare coverage.
Brother Nicolas alleges the following: "We desperately need a surgical suite because it will help us meet the standards of modern medicine and also ensure patients have a more comfortable stay during their hospitalization."
And Brother Linus Wirnkar, the current director of the clinic, highlights some of the main reasons why this new surgical module is so necessary: "It will help prevent cross-infection; the clinic will be able to offer more services to a larger population in need, and it will contribute to the growth and development of the area where it is located."
That is why the third phase began in January 2019: Construction of module 3, operating room and hospitalization. To this end, Juan Ciudad has decided to enlist my help as an architect to supervise the works.
I was accompanied during the first week of the project launch by Ana Meyer, project coordinator at Juan Ciudad NGO, and Xisco Muñoz, project technician at JCONGD. We traveled together from Madrid on Sunday, January 6th, to accomplish the following objectives:
- Hiring a local construction company in accordance with the Juan Ciudad principles, the brothers' principles, and the project requirements. Through a bidding process involving three local companies.
- Visit and evaluate existing modules to identify problems or positive aspects to consider for the new phase.
- Project review based on the latest technical needs and considerations.
- Learn about the environment, the community of brothers, and how the clinic works.
Throughout the week, we held several meetings with both the brothers and the construction companies, where all the project plans and bids were reviewed, and any necessary changes were made to meet all requirements within the available budget.
After the initial meeting with the builders, we visited some of their completed projects, which helped us gain more references when making our final decision.
On Friday the 11th, after receiving the final bids from the contractors, Ana, Xisco, and I conducted a thorough evaluation and final report with a technical assessment of each of them. Based on this analysis, we met with the brothers and a final decision was reached by consensus among all parties involved.
On Saturday, the construction contract was signed with GETCO, the company ultimately selected.
In addition to the entire bidding process, we were able to visit the brothers' Bokom clinic, which provides primary services to the population of the district where it is located.
The results of the trip were very positive. The planned objectives were met in just one week. Thanks to all this preliminary work, construction began this Monday, January 14th.
I'd like to thank the brothers for their work and dedication. They've made our life together fantastic, and I've personally felt very welcomed in my new home until the end of the project.
I'd also like to highlight the excellent work done by Ana and Xisco. They ensured everything went as planned, or even better, thanks to their logistical and proactive work.
I'm currently wrapping up my second week in Cameroon, and the construction work has already begun as planned. So far, everything is going full steam ahead, thanks to the support and good atmosphere with the clinic's brothers and staff.
It's truly gratifying and motivating to see how everyone is involved in improving healthcare and quality of life in Cameroon. And even more so to know that the construction of this module will directly contribute to improving the lives of many people.
By MarĂa Esteve, JCONGD volunteer and Technical Supervisor of Phase III of the SJD Orthopedic Clinic in Douala
This project is funded by Juan Ciudad NGO's own funds, thanks to donations from people who collaborate with our organization.
Thank you so much.
