February 16th, 2021
Hope Through Healthcare
A Terrible Dilemma
According to the World Health Organisation, half of the world’s population are still unable to readily access essential health services. For up to 100 million people, the cost of basic healthcare puts their family at material risk of being pushed into extreme poverty. It is hard to fathom the personal tragedy of having to choose between buying food and life-saving medicine for your child. It is harder still to grasp the vast scale of how many families have to face this dilemma, year after year.
The pandemic has thrown the disparity in global healthcare provision into sharp relief. Health systems in developing countries remain fragile and an area for grave concern. Thankfully, Africa’s very young population and relatively strict lockdown responses appear to have prevented high mortality rates. At present, other deadly endemic diseases such as malaria and typhoid continue to pose the most urgent threat to life for many. Providing access to affordable testing and treatment facilities remains a top priority – both for saving lives and preventing further collapse into poverty.
Hope through Healthcare
The St Ophel centre in Burkina Faso was set up specifically in response to the exponential population growth in Bobo-Dioulasso. Our IN partners realised that many poor people were simply not able to afford to use existing over-stretched clinics in the area. The medical centre has grown and made significant steps towards improving patient care and sustainability. The centre now has a thriving maternity unit, pharmacy and dispensary equipped to treat a wide range of common illnesses. Malaria typically accounts for over half of all patients.
Urgent Appeal – Medical Equipment for Burkina Faso
Over the last five years the St Ophel laboratory has been able to screen over 50,000 patients for various diseases. Unfortunately, the core testing equipment is now at the end of its lifespan and no longer able to give reliable results.
We need to raise £30,000 to replace the microscope, haematology analyser and bio-chemistry analyser in order to restore the essential diagnostic capacity of the centre. The urgent appeal will also enable us to help them acquire an ambulance vehicle to transfer critical patients to the district hospital. Anything raised over and above the target will go towards resourcing the centre with further provision of PPE.
We’d love to invite you to consider giving towards this urgent appeal so that INBF can continue to provide families with excellent, affordable and life-saving treatment.
Donate online HERE
If you’d like more information, please get in touch with Rich at rich@ineeds.org.uk.
Virtual Tour of the Burkina Faso Medical Centre – 25th Feb
Join us on 25th Feb at 3PM for a virtual tour of the Medical Centre in Burkina Faso. We will hear directly from the doctors and medical staff and a great chance to ask any questions. Sign up HERE.