Adventist Dental Clinic of Kinshasa

The Adventist Clinic of Kinshasa was created in the city of Kinshasa in 1993. It was a health project designed for quality oral care and evangelism.¹

The Founding of the Clinic

The Adventist Clinic of Kinshasa (ACK) was opened in 1993 with a single dentistry service. In 2005 other services were added which included general medicine services. The Adventist Clinic of Kinshasa is located in the commune of Ngaliema, Binza Pigeon district, at No. 42 on the Matadi Road. From a health standpoint, the Adventist Clinic is located in the Binza Pigeon health area, Binza Weather Health Zone. The health zone has an area of 36 square kilometers, with a population of 457,168, and the Pigeon Health Area has a population of 40,134. Kinshasa Adventist Clinic project was an initiative of the General Conference² which was supported by the local union. Two doctors stand out for implementation of the clinic project: Dr. Emilia Elena Rosu for dentistry and Dr. Badinanyi Jean for general medicine.³

The clinic was founded when the union was still called Zaire. It has since changed to West Congo Union.⁴ The clinic is located between two social class neighborhoods—the poor and the rich.⁵

While the first funding for the dental clinic came from the General Conference, the local union provided funds for general medicine services.⁶ The dental department was inaugurated in July 1993, and the other medical services were inaugurated in December 2005.⁷ On January 14, 2010, the Congolese government, through the Ministry of Health, signed a framework partnership agreement aimed at integrating the health structures of the Seventh-day Adventist Church into national health policy. At the outset, the infrastructure of the clinic consisted of a building with ten rooms for care and another building of seven rooms for the accommodation of the dentist.⁸ Currently the clinic uses two buildings. Since 2011, the average number of patients seen per year has been just over 1,600.

In terms of human resources, the clinic started with four employees, including a dentist, a receptionist, a cashier, and a gardener.⁹ Over the years the staff has increased to 17, which includes two dentists, two general practitioners, five nurses, an accountant, a cashier, and others. The team is supported in its work by a group of visiting doctors from various specialties and volunteer interns in medicine, nursing, molecular biology, and laboratory technology.¹⁰

The Role of the Clinic in the Mission of the Church

The clinic follows the Adventist approach to healthcare which strongly believes that the doctors and nurses provide the treatment and care, but God is the healer. Thus, every patient who comes to the clinic learns that they should seek spiritual as well as physical healing. They are introduced to Christ who is coming again to take those who have accepted Him as their Savior and Lord of their lives. The staff fully participates in the activities of the church, such as Total Member Involvement and other outreach programs which are successful in their location. Since 2009, some staff members have accompanied the West Congo Field evangelists to their meetings, and they provide free consultations and health lectures. This practice attracts crowds to listen to the word of God. They also try to raise awareness among the church members.¹¹

Since 1994, the Adventist clinic in Kinshasa has held prayer meetings each morning. In 2007, Pastor Germain Tshilenge, then administrator of the institution, initiated a morning prayer group at the clinic. The arrangement was extended to a weekly prayer meeting. This resulted in an organized group which includes the families of the workers at the clinic.¹² The name has since changed to the Clinic Church, which was organized in 2013 with 150 members.¹³ The work of evangelization that the clinic is pursuing has produced some significant results. The souls who are converted, and others who bear witness to the presence of God who manifests Himself through the care they receive at the clinic, has made the establishment of the clinic a worthwhile investment.

Funding

The church has signed a convention with the government that exempts the clinic from certain taxes.¹⁴ In 2019, West Congo Union received the 4^th quarter Sabbath School offering from the world Church to assist in the rehabilitation of buildings and to acquire much-needed equipment for the improvement of services.¹⁵

Executive Officers

Dr. Emilia Elena Rosso, director/physician (1994-2000); Dr. Vincent Roy Diozon, director/physician (2001-2009); Germain Tshilenga Ngoyi Muana, administrator/manager (2007-2008); Kidimbu Ndinga, administrator/manager (2008-2009); Boni Mwepu Lumbala, administrator/manager (2007-2009); Dr. Olive Kisile, director/physician (2009-2019); Emanuel Tshibaka, interim administrator (2009-2010); Hilaire Kabuya Kanyiki, interim administrator/manager (2010-2014); Dr. Moyo Micheline, director/physician (2019-present).

Sources

Ministry of Health, General Secretariat for Health and Framework Partnership, Agreement No. 1250 / CABMIN / SP / 03/2014 on collaboration in the health field between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ASBL, Mission Evangélique of Seventh-day Adventists, Kinshasa, July 15, 2014.

Minutes of the Executive Committee of the East-Central Africa Division, Nairobi, Kenya, November 2018. East-Central Africa Division archives, Nairobi, Kenya.

Zaïre Union Committee, Zaïre Union Annual Report, Kinshasa, 1992.

Western Congo Union Committee, Vote No. 05 UCO-019 and Vote No. 05 UCO-019, February 2, 2005, UCO Secretariat, Kinshasa, DRC.

Notes

1. Zaïre Union Committee,  Zaïre Union Annual Report, Kinshasa, 1992.↩

2. Minutes of the Executive Committee of the East-Central Africa Division, Nairobi, Kenya, November 2018. East-Central Africa Division archives, Nairobi, Kenya.↩

3. Pastor Bazey Kiabala, interview by the author, February 12, 2020.↩

4. Western Congo Union Committee, Vote No. 05 UCO-019 and Vote No. 05 UCO-019, February 2, 2005, UCO Secretariat, Kinshasa, DRC.↩

5. Guillaume Mahenge, interview by the author, January 22, 2020.↩

6. Ibid.↩

7. Western Congo Union Committee, Vote No. 05 UCO-019 and Vote No. 05 UCO-019, February 2, 2005, UCO Secretariat, Kinshasa, DRC.↩

8. Joe Njula Muembia, architect working on the plan of the Kinshasa Adventist Clinic, Kinshasa, interview by the author, January 2004.↩

9. Guillaume Mahenge, interview by the author, January 22, 2020.↩

10. Kinshasa Adventist Clinic Committee, 2019 Annual Report, Kinshasa, 2020.↩

11. Ibid.↩

12. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, revised 2015.↩

13. Kinshasa Adventist Clinic Church Secretariat, Membership Registry, Kinshasa, 2019.↩

14. Ministry of Health, General Secretariat for Health and Framework Partnership, Agreement No. 1250 / CABMIN / SP / 03/2014 on collaboration in the health field between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ASBL, Mission Evangélique of Seventh-day Adventists, Kinshasa, July 15, 2014.↩

15. Ibid.↩