Bukavu SOS Medical Centre

The SOS Medical Centre in Bukavu sees about 700 patients each month from the local community. The country's medical resources are over streteched. An estimated 3.8 million people died as a result of violent conflict from 1998 to 2004: either in the civil war itself or as a result of hunger and diseases following the breakdown of supplies and services. The SOS Medical Centre helps orphaned and vulnerable children and their families in the local community. The most common diseases treated include malaria, influenza and gastric illness. The SOS Medical Centre provides basic primary health treatment as well as ante- and post-natal examinations. The SOS Medical Centre also offers comprehensive counselling service and is involved in awareness activities on hygiene measures, HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drugs.