Wolisso – Twenty-five years later, in the Jubilee year, Doctors with Africa CUAMM celebrates the anniversary of the construction of St. Luke hospital in Wolisso, and the adjacent training center for nursing and midwifery , where over 906 professionals have graduated to date.
A press release sent to Fides retraces the quarter of a century dedicated to providing care for the most vulnerable and training of young health professionals, thanks also to the ongoing support of CUAMM, which since 2000 has promoted the work by sending doctors and young specialists in postgraduate training, as well as through continuous financial support.
“We are delighted to celebrate 25 years of St. Luke’s Hospital, a milestone made possible thanks to the community, the Church, and the generosity of many supporters. Today we celebrate, but above all, we reaffirm our commitment to serving the most vulnerable, especially mothers and newborns, to further reduce maternal and infant mortality,” said Don Dante Carraro – CUAMM Director General during the ceremony.
The hospital’s construction was made possible through the joint efforts of the Oromia Regional Office for Emergency Prevention and Management, the Oromia Health Bureau, and the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It was conceived as a response to a severe lack of healthcare services: in the 350-km stretch between Addis Ababa and Jimma, a region with approximately 1,240,000 inhabitants, no hospitals or qualified training institutions existed at the time. Today, the hospital is a regional referral center, with 163 beds, an emergency department, medical and surgical wards, and a maternity ward performing over 3,000 births annually. In 25 years of dedicated service, St. Luke’s Hospital has recorded: 250,000 admissions, 1.6 million outpatient visits, 70,000 births, 160,000 prenatal visits, 255,000 vaccinations, and 67,000 major surgeries.
The ceremony was attended by notable guests, including Mons. Giuseppe Andrea Salvatore Baturi – Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference , Lukas Teshome Fikre – Bishop of Endebe, Don Dante Carraro – Director General of Medici con l’Africa Cuamm, along with representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and regional health authorities from Oromia.
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