When the local hospital closed and the government shutdown in July, our clinic was overwhelmed. Other health workers in Kakata ran away, but our staff stayed and continued the work. Since that time, as the hospital has reopened and closed a number of times, we have continued to build for the future. We have laid the foundation for a new Medical Center. With the help of a grant from Global Giving, we just recruited 10 new Community Health Workers bringing our total to 20. Looking ahead.
The ebola crisis has only worsened the critical shortage of trained medical professionals and available health services. Dr. Chris Hena is one of only 51 practicing doctors in the country and one of only three in Margibi County. C.H Rennie, Margibi County's only public referral hospital, was badly hit by the Ebola crisis. At least 21 nurses lost their lives due to virus. As the country's focus now shifts from ebola crisis management back to development, our focus returns to capacity building.
Kakata, being centrally located, lies at a crossroads between the capital and distant rural farming communities. It is a place of commerce, where economic recovery must begin. During the crisis we remained focused on what comes after - when foreign resources pull out, when markets and schools reopen, when goods begin to flow through the community. The work on our new Medical Center has continued. Dr. Chris is training new workers. We are constantly reassessing needs and where to focus resources.
We are not the people who isolate and treat ebola, we're the people working to keep people safe and well through times of crisis. We are doing everything we can to ensure that health is maintained - babies are delivered safely, children are vaccinated, mothers learn about nutrition and sanitation, and the sick receive the care they need. Ebola crushed the spirits of the people. They come to talk to Dr. Chris, they bring their children, they trust her to be there - listening, teaching, caring.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
