Integrated Care for HIV, Chronic Diseases and Maternal and Child Health
Descrizione progetto
In the outskirts of Kinshasa, in the N’sele municipality, the DREAM Centre “Floribert Bwana Chwui” is today a vital healthcare facility for people living in conditions of severe vulnerability.
The DREAM DRC project provides free, high-quality healthcare, ensuring diagnosis, continuous treatment and biological monitoring. In addition to HIV, the centre provides care for patients affected by tuberculosis and chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, responding to an increasingly evident epidemiological transition in the major cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Special attention is also given to the most vulnerable children through a dedicated service for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, supporting minors—and not only—throughout their care pathway.
The DREAM laboratory also plays a reference role for health centres in Kinshasa involved in HIV care, which send patient samples for viral load testing—an essential parameter for ensuring effective therapy and saving lives.
The laboratory further serves as a reference centre for the molecular diagnosis of tuberculosis and for detecting possible rifampicin resistance, also supporting other treatment centres within the health zone.
Alongside care, the project places strong emphasis on prevention. Through regular activities in community health facilities, pregnant women take part in HIV testing programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and health education, helping to protect the health of mothers and children from the earliest months of life.
The project thus combines immediate response with the strengthening of the health system: integrated care, advanced diagnostics, training of local staff and community engagement, so that the right to health is not an emergency response, but a lasting reality over time.
Project Objective
To improve access to free, high-quality healthcare in the N’sele area and other regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through:
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integrated treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and chronic diseases;
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strengthening of diagnostic and laboratory services;
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prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV;
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health education and training of local healthcare staff.
Main Activities
The project is structured around four main lines of intervention:
1) Integrated healthcare and patient management
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Free treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS
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Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension and epilepsy
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Continuous clinical and biological monitoring
2) Advanced diagnostics and quality services
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Laboratory testing
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Electrocardiograms and specialist support
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Strengthening of the laboratory as a territorial reference centre
3) Prevention and maternal and child health
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HIV screening for pregnant women
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Prevention of mother-to-child transmission
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Health education in community health facilities
4) Training and community engagement
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Continuous training of local healthcare staff
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Network of community health workers for prevention and home-based care
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Awareness-raising on health, hygiene and adherence to treatment
