KINSHASA, Congo, Aug. 15, 2006—NBA star and humanitarian icon Dikembe Mutombo is set to open the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, a 300-bed hospital that will provide desperately needed healthcare to the impoverished population of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The facility, named after Mutombo’s late mother, is a $29 million hospital and research center that will include a special pediatric wing, surgery suites and a women’s center.

The health care crisis in DRC continues to rage on, leaving millions of men, women and children without any hope for survival. One out of every five children do not live to see their fifth birthday, with malaria being responsible for 45 percent of childhood deaths. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, measles and cholera have all reached epidemic proportions and continue to infect millions with no end to the suffering in sight.

“Scores of Congolese die each day unnecessarily due to the lack of access to healthcare and modern medicine,” Mutombo said. “This hospital will be equipped with cutting edge technology, and will go a long way toward diminishing the shortage of doctors and medical experts in Congo.”

Slated to open in September of 2006, the hospital will maintain 300 beds, with approximately one-third of those being pediatric. A state-of-the-art telemedicine system will allow foreign doctors and Congolese experts to collaborate and instruct on the most up-to-date medical procedures through the use of telecommunications making this the country’s leading medical training facility.

Dikembe Mutombo has donated over $15 million to this project, while private donations and corporate partnerships have helped offset the cost of construction, equipment and supplies. The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the quality of life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For more information on the hospital or on the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, visit their Web site at www.dmf.org.

The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation:
In 1997, Dikembe Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, a charitable organization created to improve the health, education and quality of life for people in his homeland of the Congo. The activities of the Foundation have included the delivery of health care services, prevention and education activities in the area of public health, and advocacy activities which work to address the health issues of the region. To date, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center in Kinshasa has been the focal point of the Foundation’s efforts.

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Biamba Marie Hospital

Founded in 1997 by NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center is the first new facility of its kind to open in the DR Congo in 40 years offering specialized care to the capital city’s poorest residents. A special focus will be placed on maternal and child health where the burden of disease and death is particularly heavy. Named in memory of Dikembe’s beloved mother, this new hospital will be a beacon of hope both for treatment and prevention of disease. I invite you to become one of the 100,000 friends of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital. Please call us today with your pledge at 1-877-FUND-DMF. Please join us on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006 as we dedicate the hospital and recognize this historic milestone in health care in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May God Bless You. Dikembe Mutombo www.dmf.org Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, Inc. 4413 Northside Parkway, Ste. 137 Atlanta, GA 30327