Make a Donation Today

  • Your help has never been so important.
    We need you to support the Make Poverty History Campaignand ensure that poverty
    is on the political agenda in 2010
  • Donate Now

Affiliates

Health Services

The world’s most vulnerable areas are often places that have been struck by natural disasters or conflicts. However, the most serious threat to the health of affected people in these areas usually has more to do with illnesses and outbreaks rather than with actual violence or injury. A 2006 mortality study in the Democratic Republic of Congo showed that most of the 3.9 million deaths attributable to the conflict from 1998-2004, were, in fact, illness-related:
“Most deaths were from easily preventable and treatable illnesses rather than violence… Improving food security and increasing access to essential health services such as immunizations, clean water, insecticide-treated bednets, and case management of common diseases, have the potential to contribute greatly to reductions in excess mortality.”

When there is war or major displacement because of a natural disaster, there are two levels of medical help required. The first is immediate treatment for a variety of injuries such as wounds from guns, bombs, and landmines, or crush injuries in earthquakes. The second is to provide the population with access to primary health care, with particular emphasis on prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. In many situations of massive displacement, the major killers are diarrhoea, respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and malnutrition. These are preventable diseases which can usually be easily prevented or treated within the context of primary health care.

Action for Poverty’s main focus is on Primary Health Care, which includes both preventative and curative services. We are committed to working alongside communities as we implement and conduct our Health Services programmes.

  • Preventative Services: These services include routine vaccinations of children and women, antenatal clinics, health education, de-worming campaigns, and the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
  • Curative Services: Curative services include basic care for the most common diseases and, where possible, referral to the nearest hospital for more complicated cases. Curative services may also include emergency obstetric care, and specific disease control programmes for diseases such as tuberculosis, trachoma, and guinea worm.Both preventive and curative services are usually delivered through fixed clinics or mobile clinics when access or security is difficult.  Some preventive services are delivered at the village level by trained community health workers.
  • Emergency Response: We maintain a capacity to respond to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera or meningitis in countries where these are significant problems.In some countries, AP includes nutritional programmes for children and mothers, ensuring they are screened and appropriately treated for malnutrition. Elsewhere, in countries such as Rwanda and Uganda, AP provides psychosocial support to conflict-traumatized people, particularly children.
  • Secondary Health Care: AP sometimes focuses on secondary health issues, such as maternal health. If no other agency with this expertise is available, supports local health personnel in emergency surgeries.