Peter Bachmann visits the PBF Memorial Medium Clinic for the first time

Dr. Peter visited Ethiopia in the first week of May. The purpose of his trip was to observe the operation and ongoing development of the PBF Memorial Medium Clinic. It is the largest project in the history of the PBF in Ethiopia and was officially opened on January 7, 2025, on the Christmas of Gena.

Dr. Peter’s mission during the visit was to assess and evaluate the current condition of the facility, as well as its resources and services for the population.

After the three-day visit and work assignments, the following points were noted:

The appearance and overall facilities of the clinic are appealing, clean, attractive, and a safe healthcare facility. Qualified professional staff, the provision of medications, paperless computer service, the establishment of a cost-effective and efficient system, attractive patient facilities, and good organization proved to be the best facility for PBF. According to Peter’s observation, finding such a clean and safe clinic-level healthcare facility is not a given, even in Switzerland.

The clinic has a well-organized diagnostic center, as referrals and hundreds of kilometers of travel time for various laboratory tests can be avoided, unless there is a problem with reagents not available in the country. Patient flow is very good, and community satisfaction has continued to increase. In addition to the usual clinical services, two campaigns provided free cataract surgeries and other surgical procedures for eye problems. Hundreds of visually impaired people were examined and received reading glasses as a gift. The mayor of the Lalibela Municipality, Wondimnew Wodaj, and his colleague visited the PBF campaign.

Promoting partnerships and coordination with other PBF projects

Our clinic, unique in the history of PBF, was established to help as many people from the poorest populations as possible. It has already proven to be a model for coordination with other PBF projects. These are networked with the clinic and serve to support the community. The PBF Memorial Clinic uses the proven LANHS (Local Area Networking Health System) health information system in the Amhara region and is unique in the area. Computers are connected to other devices that do not have internet access.

Problems and Gaps
Due to the tight budget for X-ray equipment, patients requiring this examination still have to travel over 300 kilometers to the larger cities of Bahir Dar and Dessie. Unfortunately, in Ethiopia, a medium-sized clinic can only provide very limited services, which are largely based on emergency care. The dream of the PBF Memorial Medium Clinic is to be more than a medium-sized clinic; it is a fully equipped hospital, as the range of health services available is generally very limited in relation to the needs of the population. Therefore, it would be much better if we were upgraded to the level of a hospital.

Opportunities
Based on discussions with the authorities, attention was drawn to the vacant land where agriculture is carried out directly next to the clinic. This would allow the clinic to be significantly expanded. Dr. Peter personally believed that the clinic should be expanded into a larger hospital in the future. He discussed the need for a hospital for the people of Lalibela and the surrounding area with the mayor, Mr. Wondimnew Wodaj. They discussed numerous past, present, and future humanitarian issues. Mr. Wondimnew praised PBF for its comprehensive support of the people of Lalibela over the past 20 years and emphasized that the local government will support PBF in all planned charitable activities. The discussion revealed that PBF’s work will continue with even greater commitment. The city administration will negotiate the land allocation with the owners and will conclude shortly. This provides some prospect of realizing the PBF Memorial General Hospital in the long term. The PBF Memorial Medium Clinic team, the city administration, and Peter Bachmann are now working intensively to expand the existing clinic. PBF is preparing for this major challenge, as it will meet the ever-growing need for healthcare for the poorest of the poor in the coming years.

The PBF officials, the clinic staff, hundreds of monks and priests in the pilgrimage city of Lalibela, and indeed the residents of Lalibela are extremely grateful to the PBF.

The PBF Memorial Clinic Team