For a number of reasons, many of those who are sick reach the hospital or the few available health posts on the island of Inhassunge only with difficulty, sometimes too late or not at all. The problems are multifaceted and not easy to solve:
• Lack of suitable roads and sufficient (affordable) means of transport meaning that most islanders often have to walk for hours to get help
• A shortage of medicines and medical equipment and/or supplies
• Lack of well-trained health workers
• Lack of motivation to find a clinic, based on previous experiences in which their hope to get adequate aid and medication had been disappointed in the past
• Resignation because a patient being so sick and weakened that he/she or their relatives give up hope to receive adequate help
Through mobile clinics, it’s possible to recognize and treat many illnesses and deficiencies at an early stage. We can reach those who wouldn’t come or wouldn’t be able to reach a clinic, and we can even bring care and education directly to the person’s front door. We are self-sufficient on these outreaches, bringing all the usual medicines and medical material with us which we purchase through donations. These mobile clinics are part of the practicum of the healthcare seminars, but we also organize medical outreaches at other times, based on our availability to receive specialized teams who work in medical and dental capacities. The focus is primarily on prevention, first aid, and treatment of the most common diseases that are most prevalent in our (sub)tropical region.
