Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Are Maternal Deaths a 'Right to Life' Issue?

Yes, I think it should be a right.  But how do we make it so?  Where is Capt Picard when we need him.

via allafrica.com

Picture yourself in a room with 30 other women - knowing that one of you will die during pregnancy or childbirth. That's not a concept for a macabre TV show - unless it's reality TV.

A woman who conceives a child in sub-Saharan Africa is 45 times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than a woman in developed countries. Over her lifetime, a woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a one in 31 chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes.

Those stark facts are a focus of a World Health Organization report released at the 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union that ended on Thursday in Kampala, Uganda.

How Old Are You?

You would think that determining one's age is easy.  Just get a copy of your birth records.  But if you were born in Congo, you may have a problem.  Most Congolese do not have birth records.  You may not have been born in a hospital or health clinic.  Even so, most of them do not issue a birth record to the parents.  

With the No. 7 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats selected Congolese forward-center Bismack Biyombo. The Bobcats acquired the pick from the Sacramento Kings in a draft day trade.

Biyombo was 2011's prospect almost no one had heard of in 2010. Hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Biyombo zipped from the Yemeni pro leagues to Spain's top division (the ACB) in just months, knocking down every hurdle in his way with what's reported as uncanny maturity, leadership and -- of course -- outrageous athleticism and length. In April, Biyombo became the first player to ever register a triple-double at the Nike Hoop Summit, as the big man rejected 10 shots attempted by American high schoolers.

Questions about Biyombo's age have circulated, but his agent had made results of a bone age study available, allaying most serious concerns that Biyombo was 22 or older instead of his listed 18.

via www.sbnation.com

Catch-22

It's very hard for health care facilities to break-even in their operations.  Making a profit is unheard of.  Everything seems to suffer from catch-22.  They have poorly staffed and supported facilities due to their poorer clientele.

Their clients just do not have disposable income to spend on health.  Poor families gamble with their health.  They wait until the last minute or until conditions are beyond worst before going to the doctor or nurse.  They believe it will get better tomorrow.  Unfortunately, they die before tomorrow comes.

More Copies, Please

I want to introduce to you, Hdris.  He is a unique person.

Hdris practices in the middle of no-where in a remote, off-the-map village.  He is not a doctor.  But he is the equivalent of Physician Assistant.  In other words, he is a super nurse.  He performs minor but life-saving surgeries, in addition to providing basic health care.  He is vital to the thousands of poor villagers in the area.  His clinic is located about four motor bike ride from the Bulape Hospital, a bush hospital.

Hdris formerly worked at the Bulape Hospital as a head nurse in the operating room.  Bulape Hospital is the reference hospital for about 30 clinics.  It is located about 170 miles north of civilization.  That is, a town with two banks, restaurants, clinics, stores, gas stations, cars, trucks, and occasional electricity, water, and TV.  Occasional means it is available periodically but not 24x7 or even daily.

Bush hospitals like Bulape struggle to attract and keep doctors.  Therefore, it is unbelievable that Hdris left Bulape Hospital and went further into the bush to service the poor.  Bulape needs about 29 more copies of Hdris. 

Keep It Simple

The solar sterilizer autoclave is not working at the Bulape Hospital.  Why?  No one knows.  But that's the way it is for many miracle devices.

Most hospitals in the developed world do not use solar autoclave.  It technology developed specifically for rural hospital in the bush without electricity.  But it is too complex or it is not main stream technology.

The solution is to use standard technology and devices.  Why not, a standard sterilizer autoclave powered by standard solar power unit.  As parts or component wear out, you replace the them.  The autoclave can be replaced by another autoclave.  The solar power unit can be replaced by another solar power unit or a generator.  Simplicity is the secret to sustainability.

 

There Are No Scheduled Checkups

Polio was eradicated from the US many years ago.  Today, it is just one of the often forgotten vaccines and shots routinely given to children.  They are given during a baby's scheduled checkup.

In Congo and most developing countries, babies do not have checkup schedules.  Most babies are not even born in a health facility.    Many times, health facilities and trained personnel are not available.  So, it is not uncommon that poor parents do not routinely take their children to the doctors for checkups.

Sadly, that's why one out of five children in the Congo do not live long enough to see their fifth birthday.  Polio kills and cripples.

 

Thanks Father SANRU

The project names have changed over the years.  Names like SANRU, SANRU II, SANRU III, and Project AXxes are gone.  However, the mission along with the overwhelming need has remained constant.  

SANRU (Santé Rurale) was a partnership program of the Protestant Church of Congo (ECC) and Interchurch Medical Assistance (I.M.A.).  It was core funded by USAID to improve health care in DR Congo through health zone development, especially in rural areas.

Recently, USAID has awarded a new 5-year project, the Integrated Health Program. The project works to create better conditions for, and increase the availability and use of, high-impact services, products, and practices. The project works in four provinces with 80 target health zones. Areas of focus are: family planning; maternal, newborn, and child health; nutrition, malaria, and tuberculosis; neglected tropical disease; HIV & AIDS; and water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Without SANRU support, certain hundreds of thousands of poor rural Congolese would have died due to lack of health care.

Water Is A Valuable

You lock up your valuables.  You have locks for your car.  You have locks for your house.  Businesses lock up their assets and resources, too.  They have cash, computers, vehicles, and other things used in their business.

The Bulape Hospital locks up its water.  That is, underground cisterns used to store water are locked.  They are locked to prevent unauthorized access and theft.

Water is a valuable.

A Suffering Profession

 
You have heard me say it many times.  Congolese women and girls do not have equal access to education.  But the inequality does not stop there.  Congolese women get the short-end of the stick in health, too.

Just like in the US, Congolese women neglect their health for sake of their families.  But like most things in Congo, poverty allows things to go horribly wrong and bigger than life.  For example, tumors grow to the size of babies.  So, Congolese women suffer more frequently.

Finally, when you add the perils of childbirth, you see that being a Congolese woman is a suffering profession. 

A Sad, Cruel, Scary Joke

 
"Take two Tylenols and come back in the morning."  It's a joke.  But when I saw this box of Tylenols at the Bulape Hospital, I thought it was practiced in Congo.

Later, I found out that many hospitals and health clinics do not even have Tylenols.  Then, I felt a sense of pride that the Bulape Hospital had Tylenols.

WOW!  We should not adjust our expectations.  It's still a joke.  BUT it's a sad, cruel, scary joke.