Support for the obstetrics station of the hospital in Am Timan, Chad
A project from Doctors without Borders
Chad is so far from the focus of media interest that some people even don’t know that this country exists. But it is one of the poorest countries in the world and despite its oil reserves there is not much hope that this will change in the near future. In 2011 the situation was particularly difficult because after a longer drought period unusually heavy rains washed away the fresh growth from the fields. Am Timan is a provincial capital in the southeast of the country. Since 2011 The Tereska Foundation supports a project there from Doctors without Borders.
From the description of the project by Doctors without Bordres:
Since February 2010, Doctors without Borders supports the pediatric as well as the obstetrics stations of the district hospital in Am Timan. “When we first arrived most of the beds were empty – our investigation showed that this area does have a great need in these areas. And in fact, after word spread that we were offering free medical help for children and pregnant women, our patient numbers increased considerably”, said Jean-Luc Kagayo, who is a doctor working for Doctors without Borders in Chad.
Today both stations are hopelessly overcrowded. A temporary construction made of a wooden frame and plastic sheets was set up in order to accommodate the many patients. In 2011, this construction will be replaced by a proper building which is financed by Doctors without Borders. “The temperatures in the plastic tent are much too high, especially when the temperatures climb to over 40 degrees in the spring”, said Guillaume Mazambi, the second doctor in the team.
“In any case, it is a tremendous success that meanwhile so many patients come to us because it is not self-evident. The fact that we now have up to 100 deliveries per month is extremely good”, says Mazambi. When Doctors without Borders began their work the number was at a maximum of 50. Also the high mortality rate of the children admitted to hospital has sunk by 15 percent in the beginning to three percent. “We continue to work on improving the quality of our services but unfortunately many of our patients often come to us too late.” Poor access to health facilities, as well as a lacking infrastructure in Chad, mean that many of the people must walk for days with their children in order to get to a health facility like the one in Am Timan. Many only take on this journey in extreme emergencies.
In addition to the inpatient treatment, a program for children with malnutrition has grown significantly in the last year. “In 2010, Chad experienced a hunger crisis which usually hits the children particularly hard. Between February and November 2010, we treated around 2,500 young patients between the ages of six months and five years for malnutrition”, says Kagayo, “either here in the clinic or on location. A mobile team travels to the sometimes very remote villages in the region and examines the children there for malnutrition. Complicated cases are sent directly to the hospital, the team treats the other children as outpatients. Thanks to therapeutic convenience food this is possible today. “We have already made some significant advances”, says Mazambi, “but in Am Timan there is still much to do.”
Donation examples
Malnutrition:
With 15 Euros we can treat a child less than five years of age suffering from malnutrition with therapeutic convenience food. That is enough for an average treatment of two packages per day for 30 days for this age group.
Malaria:
With 45 Euros we can treat 100 malaria children with an effective combination product based on the active substance Artemisinin. Malaria is one of the most common tropical diseases and appears most often in the rainy season. One treatment takes three days. The children take one tablet per day.
Mumps vaccination:
In the event of a mumps outbreak, our staff vaccinates all of the children in the affected area in order to prevent an epidemic. Chad has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the world, which is why outbreaks of mumps and other contagious diseases are very common. With 120 Euros we can vaccinate 100 children in connection with this kind of vaccination champagne, including vaccination equipment and cooling materials for the cold chain. This is necessary because the mumps vaccination must remain cool in order to work properly. A mumps illness is often deadly for weak children.
