A young mother is waiting for her son to be checked by an ophthalmologist at the Gbemontin Centre. The diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of ophthalmological relevance constitute a serious priority emergency in Benin because of the lack of specialists and the high costs of the medical branch itself. Therefore this is the main reason why blindness is widespread even in young age.
People with the most diverse pathologies wait for consultations with the medical personnel at the multifunctional unit in Gbemontin.
A mother in distress is standing by her malnourished child.
Malnutrition in Benin, like in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is currently widespread. Globally, it contributes to more than 50 percent of children’s deaths.
In Benin, roughly 4 in 10 children are chronically malnourished. In the north of the country, the rate of severe malnutrition, is at 34.6 percent.
In the preoperative room, a mother is carrying her son who is about to go under surgery for a visual impairment disability. The most common causes for blindness in Africa are cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, corneal opacities, diabetic retinopathy, childhood blindness.
At Gbemontin there are many cases related to deformities of the skeleton, especially those affecting the inferior limbs, bone infections (osteomyelitis), nutritional disorders in the early years of growth, blood diseases, congenital defects and traumas. Poorer societies, tending to believe in superstition, neglect these people, or even abandon them.
The hangar for the pilgrims. At Gbemontin Centre the number of patients can exceed 250 beds and therefore recovering or non-urgent patients are temporary replaced wherever possible.
The hangar for the pilgrims. At Gbemontin Centre the number of patients can exceed 250 beds and therefore recovering or non-urgent patients are temporary replaced wherever possible.
On a Christmas Eve, Fred, a ten-year-old boy arrived at Gbemontin Centre. He was dying as a result of second and third-degree burns of the superior and inferior limbs, the abdomen and shoulders. Severe burn injuries are most frequent in the region. Due to absent or distracted parents, the use of open fire to prepare meals in large pans liable to toppling over, fully synthetic clothing, the heavy presence of contraband bottles of petrol on the streets and inadequate warning and instruction concerning the risks. Fred’s case is remembered as being a particularly severe one.
When the sun sets, men and relatives arrive at Gbemontin, and the area just outside the Centre fills up with motorcycles. Though these are numerous, the number of visitors is far greater since many people come on foot from distant villages.
