Hope Medical Center

Hospital Website

hopeguinea.org

Mission

Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA) Service

Profile

Hope Clinic opened its doors with a skeleton staff in September of 2003 and has continued to grow. It functions as a busy outpatient clinic, provides surgical and maternity services, and has a strong emphasis on teaching with an attached nursing school. Some other services include an Outpatient Medical Clinic, Dental services, Laboratory & Pharmacy, Community Health Teaching, and continual education of medical staff. They have a Nursing School and a new Maternity Ward that opened in October 2023. Hope Medical staff are seeing between 100–120 outpatients a day. There is an average of 50–60 surgical operations a month. The clinic now has 50 beds, and on most days 30 of those beds are occupied. The dental clinic sees around 20-30 people a month for extractions, cleaning and fillings. The maternity ward sees about 20 prenatal care visits a week, performs 30 prenatal ultrasounds per month, and has 15-20 deliveries per month.

Time Difference

+4 hours Daylight Savings Time (EST), USA

Travel

Volunteers will fly into either Conakry, Guinea and take an in-country flight from Conakry to Nzerekore or fly into Monrovia, Liberia and then travel by ground to Hope Medical.

Location

Hope is a medical/surgical center in the village of N’Zao, in the southeastern region of Guinea

Medical Records

All medical records and hospital charts are in French

People

Guinea is home to a diverse population composed of various ethnic groups, including the Fulani, Malinke, and Soussou, who make up the majority of the population. These groups have distinct cultures, languages, and traditions that contribute to the rich tapestry of Guinean society. The country also has a significant Muslim population.

Language

French is the country's official language, but is used almost exclusively as a second language. Six indigenous languages have the status of national languages: Pular (or Fula), Maninka, Susu, Kissi, Kpelle and Toma. According to the census (see chart below), Pular is the most widely spoken (35% of the population), followed by Maninka (25%) and Susu (18%).

Religion

Approximately 85 percent of the population is Muslim, 8 percent are Christian, and 7 percent adhere to Indigenous religious or other beliefs. Much of the Muslim and Christian populations incorporate Indigenous rituals into their religious practices. Muslims constitute a majority in all four regions of the country.

Climate

Guinea, located on the Atlantic coast in western Africa, has a tropical climate with high humidity and relatively uniform temperatures. Generally hot and humid; Guinea has monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) and with northeasterly harmattan winds.

Housing

Hope Guest House has private bedrooms and a shared kitchen and bathroom. There is a washing machine available and laundry soap will be provided.

Food

There is a cook available Monday–Friday. Volunteers are responsible for food on the weekend, but the visitor coordinator will be available to assist with those needs. There will be basic items in the guest house when you arrive. Fresh foods like lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, rice, etc. are readily available.