Dr. Dennis Mukewge Mukengere
Dr. Mukengere was born on March 1, 1955 to a family of 9 children. His father was a Pastor at the Pentacostal Church in Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In his youth he accompanied his father in his Pastoral visits to victims, and while there he made his first contact with patients. His first impression was that medical help was needed in addition to prayer. After receiving his baccalaureate he studied medicine in Burundi where after having finished he went to work in The Christian Hospital of Lemera, in South-Kivu DR Congo.
Specializing in Podiatry he was shocked by the realization that women were being brought to the hospital from the rural areas on the back of mules, after having hemorrhaged during childbirth at home. Others were quite simply coming to the hospital to die after enduring long and laborious childbirth without success, and the surviving ones would leave with serious genital legions.
At this point Dr. Mukengere changes his direction to gynecology and goes to study at the CHU in Angers, France.
In 1989 Dr. Mukwengere settles at the Hospital of Lemera to be close to these women, and there he trains a staff in gynecology and obstetrics. This important service will radiate beyond the borders of the country but, unfortunately, this hospital becomes completely destroyed during the first war of Congo in 1996.
Dr. Mukengere survives Lemera then moves to Bukavu where he witnesses the suffering of the people in the Southern part of Bukavu. There is no medical structure there either to help women during childbirth. This gives him the inspiration to create a special maternity ward with an operating room at Panzi Hospital.
Immediately it is evident to him, that these women are victims of extreme sexual violence, with the number of victims growing everyday. At this point he creates a specialized service to assume the responsibility of these women. Currently they receive an average of 10 women per day and 30% of these women will undergo major surgery.
As this task becomes increasingly difficult, Dr. Mukengere creates a section for the training of nurses, obstetricians and doctors. This is done in collaboration with international experts from the Fistula Hospital of Addis Ababa, who specialize in vaginal rebuilding.
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