National Parc de Lomami, home to some of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s greatest biodiversity, is the country’s newest national park, having been officially designated status in 2016. Animals within the park face a severe poaching threat despite efforts to increase security and provide educational and employment systems to discourage it. Poaching is often run by criminal gangs with records of rape, murder, pillaging, and arson. Rangers face conflict daily as they work to sustain park integrity and protect animal populations.

1. Alleviating ranger danger
The Problem
National Parc de Lomami, home to some of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s
greatest biodiversity, is the country’s newest national park, having been officially
designated status in 2016. Animals within the park face a severe poaching threat despite
efforts to increase security and provide educational and employment systems to
discourage it. Poaching is often run by criminal gangs with records of rape, murder,
pillaging, and arson. Rangers face conflict daily as they work to sustain park integrity and
protect animal populations.
Lomami has no pre-hospital emergency healthcare system or infrastructure at this time.
The healthcare infrastructure in all of DRC has almost completely collapsed due to
constant conflict, continued security problems, and lack of healthcare investment.
Rangers suffer medical problems and traumatic injuries with high illness and mortality
rates.
Incidental reports suggest that many of the problems and injuries could have been at
least partly been mitigated in the field, including unmanaged hemorrhage, lack of
attention to potential spinal injuries, and poor wound management. Lack of healthcare
infrastructure also holds the local population in poverty and back from developing viable
economies. At this time, there are no known educational efforts towards improving
emergency and trauma care with rangers, nursing staff, local physicians, or community
members in the nearby region.
The Solution
We have designed a unique course for this conflict ridden low-resource setting with
the goal of improving medical care, alleviating suffering, and improving health
outcomes.
Methodology
Our project consisted of 5 phases:
1. A comprehensive survey of ranger injuries, medical problems and preventable
death

2. 2. A situational survey of healthcare facilities in the local district and province to
ascertain location in respect to the park and healthcare provider’s level of training,
surgical capability, and supply situation
3. The development of a comprehensive plan for park administration to properly triage
to appropriate facilities when medical conditions or injuries require
4. The actual ranger medic course
5. A follow up review to continuously follow cases and outcomes providing feedback
for future courses
Next Steps
InnovationsCZ intends to work in conjunction with Lomami’s Park and Medical
Director, HEAL Africa, and Care Under Fire and in partnership with local health clinics
and hospitals. We intend to create a comprehensive ranger medic program to:
train a cohort of ranger medics in the course we have designed,
create a continuing educational system which will be embedded in the park and
local communities to offer education with infrastructure to keep the program
sustainable, and
work to create the first 2 objectives into a model system which we can then offer to
other communities.