Aid in Action

Health Clinic Opens for Rural Villagers

Villagers Can Now Receive Emergency Treatment and Routine Health Care Close to Home

Asseguilla, Djibouti  | Tuesday, May 20, 2008

 

Life in Asseguella is hard. The tiny village lies on a dusty, rocky, almost impassable road 50 kilometers from the nearest town. In this arid landscape, villagers struggle to find enough water, vegetation for their animals, and firewood to cook the little food they have. Until recently, the residents of Asseguella could only hope that sickness or a medical emergency didn’t strike, forcing them to make the long journey to the nearest health clinic in Tadjourah.

The Government of the Republic of Djibouti (GORD) understood the difficulties the villagers faced. In 2004 the President of Djibouti visited Washington and asked President Bush to provide health clinics, identifying 23 rural locations where clinics were needed. The resulting partnership between the GORD and USAID lead to the building and renovation clinics, provision of sterilizing equipment, maternity wings, nutrition centers, incinerators to take care of medical waste, and training for nurses. In addition, generators were installed to power refrigeration units for storing medicines. USAID also formed health committees among the village people to address the health problems of the community.

On May 15th Minister of Health Abdallah Abdillah, US Ambassador Stuart Symington and PECSE Chief of Party Dr. Paul Stanislas Nebie journeyed to Asseguella to open the newly constructed health clinic, one of the final 23 clinics to be opened. The whole village turned out to greet the dignitaries with traditional dances and songs.

Fatoumah Mohammed, 40, mother of six children, welcomed the opening of the new clinic, explaining, “Before I used to take my children to Tadjourah for emergencies and vaccinations. The road is very bad and sometimes there is no transport. Now the difference is huge. You can get treatment here. Before, we lived in a very difficult situation and now that problem is solved. We are conveying our gratitude and thanks to USAID.”

Ali Hassan, the 50 year old head of Asseguella village and father of 12, also praised the government and USAID. “The people have been waiting for this hospital for a long time. We used to have to take sick people to Tadjourah by calling for an ambulance. There is only one ambulance in the district so they often didn’t come. We suffered a lot. Today we’re saying thanks to USAID and the government. We’re happy and grateful. Our kids can be treated in our village and our women can deliver here. It’s a huge impact. Before our sleep was uneasy. I’m the head of the village and people were crying to me. Now it’s really different. I am taking this opportunity to thank both the government of Djibouti and the US government for removing this problem. We will take good care of our clinic.”

USAID’s goals in Djibouti’s health sector are to increase access to health care, improve the quality of care and increase the capacity of the local people. In addition to constructing or renovating the 23 rural health clinics, USAID has trained over 550 health providers and community health workers and established a health information management system to collect data from health centers in the country.