Improving Medical Care in Pallené
TOOLS FOR LIFE is contributing €10,000 to the expansion of an infirmary that will serve ten local villages. Up to 50 patients can receive treatment at the improved medical facility each day. It will also have the capacity to accompany ten childbirths per month.
Current situation
Senegal is one of the poorest countries on Earth. The United Nation’s 2018 “Human Development Index” ranks Senegal 164th among 189 countries surveyed. The inadequacy of Senegal’s public health sector is most notable in rural areas. In western Senegal’s Bambey Department, there are 10 villages relying on a single infirmary. It is operated by untrained women known as “matrones”. Although the role of matrones is similar to that of midwives, they are often left with no alternative but to treat patients with minor injuries. When villagers suffer more severe injuries, they have to be transported by donkey cart to Bambey, the department’s distant capital.
Our measures
TOOLS FOR LIFE is teaming up with the Wasser für Senegal e.V. (Water for Senegal Foundation) and Zweckverband Fernwasserversorgung Oberes Allgäu (Long-Distance Water Supply Association of Oberallgäu) to upgrade and expand an infirmary. This will improve medical care for the 1,100 residents of Pallené as well as for nine other surrounding villages. The TOOLS FOR LIFE Foundation is supporting expanding the infirmary in the village of Pallené with a €10,000 contribution.
The first step will be to repair the existing water connection, which is currently out of operation. Doing so will ensure adequate sanitary standards. The next step will be to build a surgery, washbasins, toilets and a kitchen and to connect them to the water supply. A three-chamber septic tank will be used for wastewater treatment. A solar power system will ensure that the facility has its own supply of electricity.
The situation for staff will also be improved by making housing available to midwives and nurses. Having accommodation on-site will help in the recruitment of well-trained personnel. The villages of the department will finally have access to quality medical care. Upon completion, the infirmary will be able to treat 50 patients per day and handle 10 childbirths per month.
Facts and numbers
EURO Budget
Months
The background to the project
The Senegalese health care system is characterized by its lack of access to water. In a joint monitoring report, the World Health Organization and the United Nation children's emergency fund (WHO/UNICEF) have determined that less than half (46%) of healthcare facilities in the country have basic access to water. You can read the report here. Access to electricity in Senegal is inadequate as well. The provision of electricity tends to be irregular and fluctuations in voltage are common. Many villages have no electric light at all. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass represent an enormous potential that has yet to be tapped. You can find additional information here.
| Country | Senegal |
|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 166 |