The St. Gabriel dispensary lies in the outskirts of Conakry, Guinea’s captial, where 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. Malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition and aids wreak havoc here.

The clinic is the largest health care center across the country and exists for 20 years. It has 48 employees, of which 6 are volunteers, and treats nearly 80 000 patients annually. It was built in 1987 in response to the joint request of the state Guinea and the Archbishop of Conakry to “open health care to the poor who have no access to medicine.’ The maternity opened in 2001 and helps deliver around 1000 babies each year.

The clinic has a great reputation among the population of Conakry, because of the quality of care, caused by training and motivation of the team and thanks to the ongoing effort to keep costs low. The dispensary provides:

• a package, that includes consultation, care, laboratory tests and medicines for an average price of 5000 GNF (less than 1 euro).

• generic medicines, supplied directly in large quantities by an international non-profit foundation. Packaging is done on site, all to reduce waste, prevent theft and marginalize intermediaries.

This project, supported by the Embassy of France, until 2000 was self-financed by the modest contribution asked to patients. This is no longer the case because of the crisis in Guinea: a coup, lack of food, and devaluation and inflation of the Guinean franc.