IMCK was originally established, in 1954, primarily as a teaching institution. The purpose expressed at the time was "For the instruction of qualified medical and dental personnel, to provide a higher level of medical care, and to witness to the healing ministry of the Church." It was the first of its kind in the Kasai province.
Initially it was to train nurses with the equivalent of a junior high school certificate. Since then it has grown to include the many areas of training described in the tabs below.
67 students (50 women and 17 men) are enrolled in a 4-year nursing program.
22 students (13 men and 9 women) are enrolled in a 4-year program of laboratory technology.
The Institut Technique Medical (ITM) -- literally, Institute of Medical Technology -- now includes both an A2 (high school level) Nursing School and an A2 Laboratory Technician School. A staff of 13 instructors teaches a student body of approximately 100. In 2011, 12 students graduated from the nursing school and 4 graduated from the lab tech school. For the 2011-2012 school year there will be 61 students in the nursing school (42 girls and 19 boys) and 24 in the lab tech school (8 girls and 16 boys) -- a total of 85 students. According to a recent report by the Congolese government, this ITM at IMCK is one of the best in the country and perhaps the best in the two Kasai provinces. Fees charged for non-boarding students are approximately $200 per year -- a heavy burden in this, the world's second poorest country with a GDP PP of $300, according to the United Nation's 2010 Human Development Report. To find out what the needs are for scholarships and to avoid duplication, click here and pose your questions to Charlotte White, Editor of the newsletter.
The dental technician training is no longer offered. Why? Lack of funds? Lack of qualified instructors? Lack of demand? What can you do? Contact IMCK with your ideas.
Institut Superieur des Techniques Medicales (ISTM) -- literally, Higher Insititute of Medical Technology -- is the new university level A1 nursing school opened in 2010 with two specialties offered: (1) Management of Health Care Institutions and (2) Midwifery. A Laboratory Sciences section and a Pediatric Nursing specialty were later added.
Because of the intitial shoestring operating budget, staffing for the new school during the first year of operation has been largely borrowed from existing resources at the Good Shepherd Hospital and the A2 school. The buildings for the school were constructed on IMCK land with a grant from the USAID American Schools & Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program, obtained through the Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF).
Of the 46 students who began in the opening class, two were forced to drop out for financial reasons (cost is approximately $300 per year per student) and one was unable to take final exams due to illness. Of the remaining 43, 10 passed unconditionally, 25 passed conditionally (meaning they must retake the exam) and 8 failed. Of the 10 who passed unconditionally, 7 are specializing in medical administration and 3 in midwifery.
As of May, 2017, there were 298 students, of whom 183 were women -- 21 in Health Administration, 12 in Lab, 107 in Midwifery and 158 in Pediatric Nursing.
This new school has needs for furniture, computers, books and funds to hire its own instructors. If you think you could help, click here to contact the school's Administrative Secretary, Mr. Alexis Mayambi.
ISTM DEDICATION CEREMONY Dr. Mulumba, CPC General Secretary, speaks at dedication.
Medical Internships -- Although IMCK does not have a medical school for training doctors, it is a much sought-after location for internship experience for graduates of medical schools elsewhere in the Congo. These internships are mutually beneficial because the interns contribute significantly to the scope and quality of IMCK's programs while they gain valuable practical experience in one of the better hospitals in the area.
Medical Residencies -- Similar to the internship program, IMCK also hosts senior medical residents for their "year of perfectionment," as it is known in the Congo. The residents also contribute immesurably to the overall scope and quality of IMCK programs and services.
Continuing Education and Conferences -- Operating primarily through the Center for Research and Training, IMCK attracts numerous professional medical conferences and programs of professional in-service training to its campus, with attendees from all over the Congo. Some of this is provided incidental to research projects that are being conducted on site by institutions as far away as Kinshasa and the United States.