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Humedica opens health care station for the Kara tribe

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
Humedica
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by HRA, LKO, 2017/05/18

Since five years humedica is running a health project in the South of Ethiopia to improve the health care of the indigenous tribe of the Kara. The Kara, who live off agriculture in the remote area of the Omo river, have a life expectancy of only 43 years, which is way below the Ethiopian average. Diseases like fungal infections, diarrhoea or pneumonia are still claiming victims, even so they are relatively easily to treat. Often the patients suffer also from malaria, various infections and vitamin deficiency.

For several years now the voluntary medical teams from Germany undergo the one thousand kilometers of journey from Addis Abeba with jeeps at about 40 degrees in the shade to treat the patients from the Kara tribe with the simplest means. They travel the villages in mobile clinics and educate local personnel. Now another milestone of this vital support could be achieved.

PIONEERING WORK UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS

Over the years the vision of a health care station had been formed to secure the medical treatment of the 4.000 people also apart from the visits of the German practitioner teams. In November 2015 the foundation stone for the Kara health care station had been finally laid. Now the small hospital has been completed and could be opened officially with a festive event.

The aim of the relief project, which is organised by humedica in cooperation with the local health care authorities, is to improve the average heath level of the inhabitants by 70 per cent. At the health care station three treatment rooms and a pharmacy are awaiting the patients from the surrounding villages. On its premises are also a small personnel dormitory and a guesthouse to accommodate external medical teams in this remote region.

The isolation of the Kara tribe is illustrated by the fact that the next practitioner lives 50 kilometres away. In the past patients had to walk for two days to receive medical treatment - a challenge, which can rarely be met by seriously ill or injured patients. Thanks to the humedica health care station this now is a problem of the past.

This is the first long-term health care project in the region, which is undertaken by a non-governmental organisation - real pioneering work, which has not been finished yet. Even so the health care station has been opened successfully, there are still other building projects, which are necessary to guarantee the smooth running of the medical care such as the construction of a waste management plant and a cooled medicine storage facility, the installation of a solar system as well as the acquisition of a project pool car. It is scheduled to complete all ongoing activities till 2018 and to transfer gradually the responsibilities to local managers.

SUPPORT BY VOLUNTARY MEDICAL TEAMS WILL CONTINUE

Not only the health care station activities, also the regular assignments of the voluntary medical teams from Germany will remain a vital part of the help for the Kara tribe. May and October this year qualified practitioners will again travel for three weeks to the remote region to take on not only the medical treatment of the people, but also the training of the local medical team of the health care station.

Training sessions on topics such as nutrition, hygiene, general health issues and a comprehensive vaccination campaign will provide the local employees with a detailed level of knowledge that they can afterwards pass along to the patients in order to improve the health situation of the Kara on the long term.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE KARA TRIBE WITH YOUR DONATION!

In order to implement the planned relief measures we depend on your support. Please become part of our work in the South of Ethiopia and help with your donation to improve the life and health of the Kara sustainably. Thank you so much!