TOGO 2026!!

At the hospital entrance after a vigorous 3 mile walk!!

We are delighted to be back at l’Hôpital Baptiste Biblique, known as HBB or, more formally as Karolyn Kempton Memorial Hospital. This was the site of our first trip together in 2007, shortly after our retirement from American practice. We visited again in 2010, 2011, and 2020 and have been at the sister northern Togo hospital, the Hospital of Hope, in 2022 and 2024. Both of these are under the ministry of ABWE, the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism.

HBB was started in 1985 and is an acute care hospital of about 50 beds. There are about 140 national staff plus expats including surgeons and primary care physicians. Most of the nurses were trained onsite in a program started by a PhD level American nurse and the lab techs and radiology techs were trained by American techs, as well. We appreciate the digital xrays that can be viewed at the nurses’ station as well the lab results that are printed off at the station soon after they are completed – ie no running around to the lab and xray departments searching for results!! HBB has 2400 admissions each year and does 1600 surgeries. It is a site for the PAACS Program (Pan African Academy of African Physicians) which is a rigorous 5 year program in which African doctors learn surgery under the tutelage of American surgeons. There are 3 surgical trainees here now, from Cameron and Rwanda, and they share their time between the two Togo hospitals.

 The nursing station is the hub of activity each morning as we make our morning rounds. The nurses are diligent and provide excellent care. They also translate for us as we see the inpatients.  The pediatric ward is a large room with about 10 beds/cribs along the walls. There is a 4 bed “SI” for “soins intensif” or intensive care – these patients can be closely monitored.  

Nursing Station

   

Pediatrics Ward

                  

Intensive Care - we have Bipap available for patients in severe respiratory distress
and Dopamine infusions for those with overwhelming infection and drastically
low blood pressures.

The lab is well equipped and staffed by very good techs. Dave is especially happy that they can make good peripheral blood smears for review as he was a blood specialist in his American practice.

Laboratoire!