Guinea, a country in West Africa of 13 million people, is a land of untapped potential and of great challenge. According to the Human Development Index, Guinea ranks 175 out of 189 countries. The infant and under-5 mortality rates are among the bottom 10% in the world. Half of its population is under the age of 15, making the need for robust pediatric healthcare critical. Despite this need, the country has fewer than 20 pediatricians and, until recently, no dedicated pediatric centers.

Sacre Coeur Pediatric Clinic (SCPC) is located in the rural town of Dubreka, with a population of about 10,000 people. In the town are many small clinics and 2 hospitals (Sacre Coeur being one of them) where people can access care. Unfortunately, like many parts of Guinea, most of the population in Dubreka is poor and cannot afford routine health care. Additionally, the clinics and other hospitals are usually under equipped with a clinical staff that is overwhelmed and unprepared due to knowledge gaps and minimal resources.

Common health problems for the Guinean pediatric population include chronic conditions like sickle cell, HIV infection, and malnutrition of all severities, HIV. Common acute conditions include tropical diseases, food/water borne illnesses, skin infections and otitis media. Due to the significant lack of education within the populations, seeking care is often delayed until a fever has been present for a few days. People will often trial traditional measures, unregulated medications, or antibiotics from local markets prior to seeking professional medical care.

Become more familiar with culture, history and economy of Guinea by reviewing these resources:

• Guinea Wikipedia Profile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation for Guinea: https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/health-by-location/profiles/guinea
• World Health Organization’s Humanitarian Data Exchange for Guinea: https://data.humdata.org/group/gin

French is the official language of Guinea, used in government and education. The country has over 40 indigenous tongues, with three major languages dominating specific geographic regions. English is spoken by some highly educated persons.

Non-French speakers can enjoy a valuable experience at SCPC through assistance of an interpreter to accompany them on weekdays for a nominal fee.

Sacre Coeur Pediatric Clinic (SCPC) provides three types of care: routine health or sick visits also known as consultations, emergency department care, and specialty visits for sickle cell, congenital health diseases and neurological disorders. The emergency department can also function like a day hospital where patients needing daily antibiotics or very close follow up for an acute illness.

SCPC also has a very robust malnutrition program that is run parallel to the above three types of care provided.

Although limited, SCPC is equipped to perform basic lab work, X-ray, point-of-care ultrasound, and echocardiogram. Clinical care is supported by solid administrative and human resource’s structure that assure the staff are paid on time, have benefits such as free healthcare, and receive continuing medical education. This not only improves patient care, but it also improves staff satisfaction which also leads to better patient care.

Since founding SCPC in 2019, the community is very accepting and trusting of the clinic as they have come to realize that it is where they can obtain the best care. People often travel from the city of Conakry and other places around Guinea to be seen. Patients often express gratitude and acknowledge that their best interests are prioritized over what they can pay. The care is affordable according to local standards and there are even funds to help those who are in dire need of a certain medication/treatment but cannot afford it. Because Sacre Coeur is an American non-profit institution, much of the funding comes from donations in addition to service fees.

SCPC has a formal affiliation with University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for research and health professions education.

Looking a decade ahead, SCPC’s vision is to expand into a regional reference pediatric hospital, continuing to offer primary care and emergency care, as well as anticipated intensive care treatment options.

SCPC is led by Rachel Jamison and Courtney Baldridge. Dr. Jamison is a pediatric cardiologist and Dr. Baldridge is a pediatric Hospitalist. Both completed their medical training at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Both also earned the INMED graduate certificate in International Medicine and Public Health. Other physicians at SCPC are Guinean and European.

SCPC nurses originate from both Guinea and the United States. Additional professional staff include those in pharmacy, laboratory technology, and nutrition.

INMED invites all participants to consider raising extra funds to financially support this facility. While such efforts are not required, they provide opportunity for INMED learners to become involved in this important aspect of international healthcare.

SPCP has wi-fi available throughout the facility.