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 has been in operation for twenty years. It has almost fifty employees, six of whom are always foreign volunteers, and can treat nearly 80,000 patients annually. In 2001, the dispensary opened a maternity ward and now 1000 babies are delivered there each year.

The clinic has a great reputation among the population of Conakry, because of the quality of care, motivated staff, and efficient operation.

• 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, was self-financed by the modest contribution asked to patients. This is no longer the case because of the crisis in Guinea: after a coup, a famine, and the devaluation of the Guinean franc, the local French embassy began to finance the mission.