On the evening of 16 September, the doctor in charge of Jonathan Bolingi’s care contacted Ambassador Kalala Mulumba Joseph to inform him that Jonathan Bolingi had been admitted to the intensive care unit of the Sremska Kamenica Institute of Pulmonary Diseases in Novisad. Jonathan Bolingi had travelled to Kinshasa to take up the call of the Democratic Republic of Congo national team. On his return to Serbia on 14 September, he reported that he was feeling unwell, which led to his immediate transfer from the airport to the emergency department of the Vojvodina Clinical Centre. After a full diagnosis, the doctors decided to transfer him to the Institute of Pulmonary Diseases in Sremska Kamenica, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. His condition was critical and he was quickly attended to by a team of specialist doctors.
The following day, 17 September, Ambassador Kalala and his wife visited the Institute for Lung Diseases in Sremska Kamenic. They found Jonathan Bolingi in a critical condition, in an induced coma. Ambassador Kalala had a long conversation with the specialist doctor in charge of Bolingi’s treatment, during which the specialist provided a full report on the state of health of our international player. The doctor indicated that Bolingi was suffering from severe hypoxaemic respiratory failure with no clear signs of pneumonia. However, typical changes were seen on the chest X-ray, described as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The specialist assured the patient that it was possible to treat this condition, not least because of his youth. Fortunately, the medical team was used to dealing with this type of situation. Initially, they induced a medical coma and implemented a strategy of protective ventilation of the lungs in order to maintain adequate levels of oxygen in the arterial blood while minimising the risk of further damage to the lung tissue.
Back in Belgrade, Ambassador Kalala continued to speak regularly with the specialist about Bolingi’s health, providing him with updates two or three times a day. Fortunately, two days ago, Bolingi came out of his induced coma and his state of health has improved considerably. His Excellency Ambassador Kalala Mulamba therefore made a second visit to Novisad to personally assess Jonathan Bolingi’s state of health. Although he is in much better condition, his health remains a cause for concern. The Institute’s medical team has carried out further tests and we are in constant communication with them.
We would like to express our gratitude to God and to the medical team at the Sremska Kamenica Institute of Lung Diseases for their professionalism and appropriate care.
