MSF Empowering Communities To Bring Malaria Treatment Closer
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Elisabeth Janaina
Jul 18, 2017, 12:02:36 PM7/18/17
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MSF Empowering Communities To Bring Malaria Treatment Closer
In Agok, Abyei Special Administrative Area (ASAA), a disputed
territory between Sudan and South Sudan, Médecins Sans
Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is setting up community
advanced malaria posts or “CMAP” during the rainy season for the 3rd
year in a row.
18 July 2017
JUBA, 18 July 2017 [Gurtong]-With those posts in remote areas,
patients have access to test and treatment for simple malaria in their
community rather than having to walk for hours to reach the hospital.
This strategy aims at reducing the number of patients with severe
malaria that come to the hospital, the mortality associated with
malaria but also to quickly detect the disease in remote communities
and treat malaria as soon as possible.
The “CMAP project” or community malaria project started in 2015 as a
response to the severe malaria outbreak that hit the area. “We wanted
the people in the community to be able to test and treat simple
malaria so that patients don’t come to the hospital very sick,
explains Tara Smith, supervisor of the community malaria project in
Agok.
This year, 22 villages will be part of this special programme aimed at
reducing the morbidity of severe malaria in the area around Agok town.
Two volunteers are trained in each villages and MSF also provides the
rapid test to diagnose malaria and the drugs for treatment of simple
malaria. When a patient comes with severe malaria, he is referred to
one of the primary healthcare centers in the area or to MSF hospital
in Agok. Last year, 40.000 people were tested and treated in their
community.
“In many villages, it is extremely difficult to reach the hospital
during the rainy season. People would have to carry the patient on a
blanket or a sheet and walk for several hours, explains Tara Smith.
In the most remote areas, primary healthcare centers are sometimes far
away or simply impossible to reach because of the mud when the rains
start. “Sometimes, a few hours can make the difference between life
and dead, especially at night when people don’t have to make the
difficult decision to wait for the next day to go to the clinic,
continues Tara Smith, but it also allows people to have a normal life
during the rains, go to the field, to the church and take care of
their family and not have to walk for hours to get treatment for a
simple disease”.
Malaria causes fever and extreme body pain, sometimes stomach pain and
diarrhea. In its severe form, it can provoke neurological symptoms,
anemia, bleeding and, eventually, death.
“Before this project, we used to spend our days carrying children to
the health centre, recalls Maliai Mathiang, a volunteer from Rumkor
involved in the project since 2015. If an organisation is willing to
give drugs, we should take this opportunity to offer ourselves to
support the people”, explains the volunteer who dedicates a large
amount of his time to do work.
“It happens often that we are working in the fields and then someone
calls us because there are patients waiting. Sometimes this place is
full of patient and we just spend our day treating them”, explains
Abraham Kalei, also volunteering in Rumkor.
MSF is also providing training to the volunteers to be able to
recognize malaria, perform the test, treat the simple cases and refer
the complicated cases timely.
“Since we had the training we can recognize the symptoms of malaria
and refer the patients on time. Before, we had a lot of people dying
in the community, and it was not always possible for patients to go to
the primary healthcare unit as it was happening very fast. Now we can
treat it very easily”.
“What I hear over and over again is “I just want to help my people”.
This is the motivation, they look out for each other, describes Tara
Smith, whose team goes to each village every week to follow up with
the volunteers, train them and bring them supply. The community takes
a lot of proud of it, they are happy to be able to do that for
themselves. One chief told me “thanks for bringing a small hospital to
us” concludes Tara Smith.
Posted in: Home, Humanitarian
In Agok, Abyei Special Administrative Area (ASAA), a disputed
territory between Sudan and South Sudan, Médecins Sans
Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is setting up community
advanced malaria posts or “CMAP” during the rainy season for the 3rd
year in a row.
18 July 2017
JUBA, 18 July 2017 [Gurtong]-With those posts in remote areas,
patients have access to test and treatment for simple malaria in their
community rather than having to walk for hours to reach the hospital.
This strategy aims at reducing the number of patients with severe
malaria that come to the hospital, the mortality associated with
malaria but also to quickly detect the disease in remote communities
and treat malaria as soon as possible.
The “CMAP project” or community malaria project started in 2015 as a
response to the severe malaria outbreak that hit the area. “We wanted
the people in the community to be able to test and treat simple
malaria so that patients don’t come to the hospital very sick,
explains Tara Smith, supervisor of the community malaria project in
Agok.
This year, 22 villages will be part of this special programme aimed at
reducing the morbidity of severe malaria in the area around Agok town.
Two volunteers are trained in each villages and MSF also provides the
rapid test to diagnose malaria and the drugs for treatment of simple
malaria. When a patient comes with severe malaria, he is referred to
one of the primary healthcare centers in the area or to MSF hospital
in Agok. Last year, 40.000 people were tested and treated in their
community.
“In many villages, it is extremely difficult to reach the hospital
during the rainy season. People would have to carry the patient on a
blanket or a sheet and walk for several hours, explains Tara Smith.
In the most remote areas, primary healthcare centers are sometimes far
away or simply impossible to reach because of the mud when the rains
start. “Sometimes, a few hours can make the difference between life
and dead, especially at night when people don’t have to make the
difficult decision to wait for the next day to go to the clinic,
continues Tara Smith, but it also allows people to have a normal life
during the rains, go to the field, to the church and take care of
their family and not have to walk for hours to get treatment for a
simple disease”.
Malaria causes fever and extreme body pain, sometimes stomach pain and
diarrhea. In its severe form, it can provoke neurological symptoms,
anemia, bleeding and, eventually, death.
“Before this project, we used to spend our days carrying children to
the health centre, recalls Maliai Mathiang, a volunteer from Rumkor
involved in the project since 2015. If an organisation is willing to
give drugs, we should take this opportunity to offer ourselves to
support the people”, explains the volunteer who dedicates a large
amount of his time to do work.
“It happens often that we are working in the fields and then someone
calls us because there are patients waiting. Sometimes this place is
full of patient and we just spend our day treating them”, explains
Abraham Kalei, also volunteering in Rumkor.
MSF is also providing training to the volunteers to be able to
recognize malaria, perform the test, treat the simple cases and refer
the complicated cases timely.
“Since we had the training we can recognize the symptoms of malaria
and refer the patients on time. Before, we had a lot of people dying
in the community, and it was not always possible for patients to go to
the primary healthcare unit as it was happening very fast. Now we can
treat it very easily”.
“What I hear over and over again is “I just want to help my people”.
This is the motivation, they look out for each other, describes Tara
Smith, whose team goes to each village every week to follow up with
the volunteers, train them and bring them supply. The community takes
a lot of proud of it, they are happy to be able to do that for
themselves. One chief told me “thanks for bringing a small hospital to
us” concludes Tara Smith.
Posted in: Home, Humanitarian
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