That's about the population of the county of Peterborough, that I live in. That is pretty hard to grasp. A community of this size being served by only 5-6 physicians. And we complain about 4 hour wait times in the ER. My hospital alone has over 370 physicians. Benin has less than 600 physicians in the ENTIRE COUNTRY.
Infrastructure is certainly a major barrier in access to healthcare in developing nations, as I heard first hand in Madagascar. People would often walk for days to reach a screening centre or the ship itself. Ensuring that public health information and vaccines can saturate even the most remote populations is an incredible challenge, when the "roads" look like this.
Improving the country's infrastructure is a huge step in better overall public health and better access to care, but having a better road isn't going to help if there aren't any doctors to see. Part of the challenge is also a hesitance to utilize the resources that are available, and instead relying on traditional Vodun (voodoo) methods. But more on that in a later post.
Benin is working to improve the healthcare situation, with policies in place to improve health coverage and education, and is receiving assistance from many NGOs in this regard.
This is why an emphasis of Mercy Ships' work is to have a "lasting impact" - through training workshops, mentoring opportunities, and improvements to local facilities. These programs help equip the country to continue the work of transformative surgery long after the ship has gone.
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| Exhibit C - In which my pasty whiteness has never been more evident. |
In Other News...
After a great week at camp, I got sick. Of course. Can't visit camp without picking up the Campititis. After a week of hoping these knives in my throat would just decide to go away, I finally gave up and visited the walk-in clinic for some antibiotics...from one of my cities HUNDREDS of doctors. Boy, how easy it is to forget how fortunate we are.
Also, officially booked my flights today! And that's a big chunk out of the bank. But it's also nice to have it said and done, so I can focus on saving for other things.
One other piece of good news, I have found a roommate for the fall, which is a BIG help in that whole money-saving business.
TTYNW (talk to you next week)!
