Brazzaville health upgrade under Congo-Italy cooperation
Two major public hospitals in Brazzaville have been rehabilitated and equipped with new-generation medical devices, focusing on critical services for mothers, newborns and emergency care, according to the Agence Congolaise d’Information (ACI).
The upgrades concern the Makélékélé Basic Reference Hospital and the “Mère et Enfant Blanche-Gomez” Hospital in Bacongo, in Brazzaville’s 1st and 2nd districts. The work targets units that often face the highest demand in city health facilities (ACI).
Which services received the latest equipment
At Makélékélé, the reanimation unit and neonatology services are among the areas equipped and rehabilitated. At Blanche-Gomez, the project includes neonatology as well as stomatology and ophthalmology services, ACI reported.
The hospitals received technical platforms and core items used in maternal and neonatal care, including incubators, cradles and delivery beds. Makélékélé also received reanimation equipment aligned with current standards of care, according to ACI.
Ministers tour hospital units after technical visit
A delegation of Congolese and Italian ministers carried out a technical visit on Jan. 9 to review the upgraded services. The visit was presented as part of bilateral cooperation and a way to monitor works underway in multiple health units (ACI).
Officials said the broader program aims to improve the offer and quality of care in the Republic of Congo by modernizing services and reinforcing their operational capacity, with attention to equipment and related infrastructure (ACI).
Athea works and the training component for staff
The rehabilitation and equipment works were carried out by the Italian company Athea, according to ACI. Beyond the delivery of devices, the project also includes training for medical staff to support safe, effective use of advanced equipment.
That training component is presented as essential for ensuring that high-end devices translate into better daily care and continuity of services, especially in intensive care and neonatal units where procedures are highly specialized (ACI).
236 million euros concessional financing: what was announced
During a joint press conference, Congo’s Minister of Health and Population, Prof. Jean Rosaire Ibara, met with Italy’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, and Italy’s Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci (ACI).
Congo’s minister in charge of international cooperation, Denis Christel Sassou N’Guesso, said the achievements follow a health cooperation agreement signed in November 2024 between Congo and Italy (ACI).
He described the financial framework as concessional funding totaling 236 million euros over five years, with a 0% interest rate, a 10-year grace period and repayment spread over 18 years. “Presented like that, it is almost a donation,” he said (ACI).
Next phase in 2026: focus on interior health centers
Looking ahead, Denis Christel Sassou N’Guesso said the program is expected to extend to Integrated Health Centers in Congo’s interior. He indicated that a second phase, planned for 2026, would include certain centers based on priorities defined by the Ministry of Health (ACI).
The approach suggests a step-by-step rollout, linking central investments in Brazzaville to future upgrades beyond the capital, while keeping the selection of facilities aligned with technical needs identified by health authorities (ACI).
Italy signals wider partnership, including telemedicine
Italy’s health minister, Orazio Schillaci, reaffirmed the willingness of both countries to deliver projects by exploring new initiatives, citing what was observed in the visited hospitals as practical examples (ACI).
“We are ready to examine the projects presented by Congo in order to implement them in a more integrated framework. Italy cares about this cooperation. It is currently committed to developing telemedicine,” Schillaci said (ACI).
While details were not expanded during the reported remarks, telemedicine is framed as one possible avenue for future cooperation, alongside hospital modernization and service integration, in line with the spirit of the bilateral program (ACI).
Local hospital leadership welcomes new reanimation capacity
Régis Karym Ntsila, director general of the Makélékélé hospital, welcomed the development, stressing the change it represents for the facility’s clinical readiness. “We did not have a reanimation unit at the start. Now we are equipped thanks to this project,” he said (ACI).
He added that the initiative is expected to extend to other services. For frontline teams, the new equipment is presented not only as a technical upgrade but as a concrete shift in what the hospital can handle on site (ACI).
Plan Mattei context and broader sectors linked to cooperation
ACI noted that, in coherence with Italy’s Plan Mattei for Africa launched at the Italy-Africa summit in 2024, the cooperation also touches other priority sectors beyond health, including energy, water, sanitation and industry.
For Congo, officials portray the health component as one visible part of a wider partnership agenda. For residents, the immediate test will be how quickly the new tools translate into smoother care pathways for mothers and children.
The ministry delegations’ hospital walkthroughs, and the emphasis on training, signal an intent to connect investment with day-to-day service performance, while keeping the program anchored in the November 2024 agreement (ACI).