Mothers
and children crowd the waiting area outside Vilanculos hospital
in Inhambane province, on the coast of Mozambique. Three months
ago, Cyclone Favio swept through this town, reaching speeds
of up to 270km per hour. The heavy winds ripped off the hospital
roof, destroying valuable equipment and medical supplies.
Today, the Red Cross basic health care unit that arrived here
in February 2007 to support the local health authorities in
the aftermath of the cyclone, is handing over equipment and
supplies to the Ministry of Health, part of a plan to boost
local capacity to deal with health issues and emergencies.
“We are giving this material as a gift to local organisations
which are able to use it in the best way– in this case
the local health authorities and Mozambique Red Cross –
so that in future they have more capacity to respond to health
emergencies” explains Liv Råd, team leader of the
Red Cross Basic Health Care Emergency Response Unit.
Local nurses, doctors and midwives - an integrated part of the
health care unit from the first days of its arrival - have provided
medical assistance for up to 275 patients per day. The existing
Vilanculos hospital was severely damaged by the cyclone, and
the health care unit, which is valued at around $1 million USD
and includes medical staff and administrators from Canadian,
Norwegian and Mozambique Red Cross, has supplied tents, equipment
and medical supplies that are allowing the Ministry of Health
to provide uninterrupted medical services while rehabilitation
gets under way.
“We have focused our services on 5 key areas – general
clinic, mother and child clinic, vaccinations, mobile clinic
and maternity care” adds Råd. “Disease prevention
is particularly important – that means health education
and hygiene awareness, especially for woman and mothers who
tend to be the main care providers”.
More than 69 per cent of the more 15,000 patients seen by the
Basic Health Care unit were women, and 29 per cent children
under the age of five.
Activities to increase health awareness and reduce morbidity
have included distribution of treated mosquito nets to expectant
mothers, and a hospital clean up campaign to eradicate mosquito
breeding grounds. Malaria counts for 30% of all hospital deaths
in Mozambique and is particularly dangerous for pregnant women
who run the risk of anaemia and delivering babies with low birth
weight.
Eradication of breeding sites, and correct use of treated mosquito
nets are simple but effective ways to prevent transmission.
The Basic Health unit has also provided a rapid malaria test
kit that will facilitate faster diagnosis and treatment.
As the hospital rehabilitation progresses and regular services
are relocated to hospital premises, the basic health unit is
ensuring the local branch of Mozambique Red Cross and local
health authorities are ready to face future health emergencies.
In April, Red Cross volunteers and representatives from the
Ministry of Health took part in a two day training session on
how to set up a basic health unit, including site planning,
preparation and management, which will enable a rapid and efficient
response in case of future health emergencies.
Julito Juliao, a Red Cross volunteer for 15 years, took part
in the training. “I am already trained in first aid, water
and sanitation and HIV/AIDS prevention. This course gave me
a new skill. It will certainly be useful during the next disaster.
With a little external help we’ll be able to set up a
health unit like this one.”
This training, together with the handover of equipment, will
increase the overall emergency response capacity in Mozambique.
As Dr. Noe Massango, chief medical director of Inhambane Province,
explains: “This equipment is very useful. It will help
us respond to health emergencies here in Inhambane, and is the
kind of equipment that can be redeployed in at least 5 different
disaster prone provinces to increase local response capacity
in the future”.
International members of the Basic Health Unit team are now
preparing to fly back home, many to regular jobs in health facilities
or teaching hospitals, until the next call for disaster emergency
response. Meanwhile, plans are in full swing to support reconstruction
of the damaged health facilities.
Norwegian Red Cross is partially funding this reconstruction,
which will restore the much needed permanent structures and
allow patients and doctors alike to move out of the tents that
still house many of the hospital and health clinic wards. The
Ministry of Health will continue to operate the tented ERU until
they are able to move into rehabilitated clinic buildings.
The Basic Health Care unit was funded with support from ECHO,
the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian and Canadian
Red Cross Societies and CIDA.
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More
than 69 per cent of the 15,000 patients seen by the Basic
Health Care unit were women, and 29 per cent children
under the age of five. (Norwegian Red Cross)
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The
basic health unit organised a training session for Red
Cross volunteers and Ministry of health representatives
on how to set up and manage a health care unit. The health
unit has handed over material and equipment to increase
local capacities to cope with future health emergencies.
(p15783) (Catherine Marquis/Canadian Red Cross)
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The
Red Cross set up a basic health care unit to support local
health authorities at Vilankulos hospital in the aftermath
of cyclone Favio. (p15784) (Hossam K Elsharkawi/Norwegian
Red Cross)
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