Your part and
why You should get involved:
There is 1 hospital for 545800 inhabitants and 1 medical doctor
per 17000 inhabitants.
Here are other health factors of Senegal that will convince you
of the importance of sending these medical supplies:
· Malaria is the primary cause of morbidity (25%)
· Maternal death: Of every 10000 women who give birth to a child,
45 die in urban areas - but nearly 100 die in rural regions. Qualified
medical practitioners attend only half of women giving birth.
· Infant mortality rate is 58 per 1000, the child mortality rate
is 113 per 1000 – but with significant disparities between the
regions
· HIV is increasing recently – but from a low basis
· Malnutrition remains a public health issue: 1 out of 5 children
are underweight; 22% of children under five are malnourished;
only half of all children have had DPT and measles immunizations.
· Vaccination coverage against the main childhood diseases remains
insufficient with only a coverage of only 42%.
· Children between 12 and 23 months received all necessary vaccinations.
Limited or absence of access to safe water is increasing health
problems in the rural regions of Senegal. Access to improved water
sources is enjoyed by 78 percent of the population, though rural
areas lag urban by more than 25 points.
Now if Senegal Healthcare situation is dire, think of other part
of the African continent which are less fortunate; where Hospital
Beds and supplies are nowhere to be found in many health centers.
We believe that ACTION TERANGA, its partners and its sponsors
are the appropriate vehicles in which to enhance quality standards
in health care for Senegalese that we Americans have come to expect.
It is to this end that the volunteers of ACTION TERANGA help to
provide donated medical equipment and supplies to Senegalese hospitals
and clinics that will enable their doctors and nurses to provide
an honorable quality of care.
The situation in Africa is dire. Yet the medical professionals
there remain hopeful that assistance will arrive to help those
in need. The beneficiairies (hospitals and clinics) will never
pay any fees or expenses for the medical supplies that our joint
effort sends them. However, they are expected to participate fully
in the process from project identification to installation.