One of the major social services the Eritrean government has been investing on is healthcare. Healthcare facilities have been built across the country to provide services to all segments of the society.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has made tremendous progress in giving health care services, in general, and immunization services, in particular. In the last decade, child mortality has been constantly lowered by 4% per year. This is primarily attributed to the success in malaria control, elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, and improvements in the prevention and case management of the three most common fatal childhood diseases (Acute respiratory infections (ARIs), diarrhea, and malnutrition).
Eritrea is one of three Sub- Saharan African countries on track to meet the fourth Millennium Development Goal. In order to move expeditiously in the desired direction, the MoH has updated its organizational structure and produced the National Health Policy and the Health Sector Strategic Development Plan (HSSDP).
The main aim of the HSSDP in the regions and subzones is to set objectives and identify the most cost effective strategies and activities of achieving the desired objectives.
The healthcare system in Mai Ayni subzone has evolved, and tangible benefits have been obtained over the last decade. Mai Ayni subzone stretches over an area of 629.1 square kilometers and is home to 24,685 citizens who live in the 62 villages of the 11 administrative areas of the subzone. There are three healthcare facilities in the subzone: a community hospital and a health station in the town of Mai Ayni and a health center in the Ko’atit administrative area.
Most people in Mai Ayni subzone can access healthcare services at facilities within 10 kilometers of their residential areas, with the exception of few communities that live in the subzone’s northern and southern reaches of Adi Nebri village and Una-Watot administrative area. The healthcare facilities in the subzone are staffed by six nurses, four pharmacists, four laboratory technicians, two public health technicians, and seven associate nurses who provide services such as mother and child care, HIV/ AIDS diagnosis and surveillance, tuberculosis diagnosis and surveillance, malaria diagnosis and surveillance, the IDSR (integrated disease surveillance and report), and non-communicable disease treatment and surveillance.
In addition to the medical workers who are stationed at the healthcare facilities, over 70 barefoot doctors and health assistants give healthcare services to communities that live in far-to-reach locations.
Over the last six months, the OPD sections in the subzone’s facilities have served around 1677 patients under the age of five and 9077 adults, an increase of 29% and 31% respectively over the previous year. The increase in the number of patients visiting healthcare facilities is a demonstration of the communities’ appreciation of the quality of services being provided. And now that the community hospital’s laboratory has been equipped with an ultrasound scanner, TB testing, and genotypic resistance testing, it has become easier for people to get medical treatment near their home, saving them money and time spent traveling to visit a doctor.
Mr. Fiqremaryam Hayle, head of Mai Ayni subzone’s health division and director of the community hospital in Mai Ayni, said that the child and mother care service has been improving, with pre-natal care having increased to 78%, and the percentage of mothers who give birth at healthcare facilities having risen from 43% to 55%. The percentage of mothers who give birth at healthcare facilities is expected to rise to over 60% by the end of the year.
Over the years, Mai Ayni subzone’s health service division has made strides in malaria control, vaccine preventable illnesses, and preventive and case management of major pediatric killer diseases. Vaccines against measles, tetanus, diarrhea, polio, meningitis, whooping cough, tuberculosis, rubella, lung and liver infection, and other diseases have been administered on 98% of the targeted population. This means that communities are now fully aware of the necessity of vaccinations, and nearly every child in the subzone has been vaccinated. Throughout general, diagnostic testing for sexually transmitted illnesses are readily available throughout the subzone.
Although the threat of malaria has been considerably reduced through systematically integrated surveillance and vector control measures, the subzone is still one of the country’s most malaria-prone places due to its climate and geographic location. The subzone has seen a rise in the number of patients this year compared to last year, and efforts are being made to combat this through regular weekly environmental cleaning programs, distribution of mosquito nets, aerial spraying of insecticides, and public awareness programs. Also, 52 volunteers from all administrative areas in the subzone are now fighting to stop the spread of malaria in the subzone.
In accordance with the MoH’s policy on community-based sanitation campaigns, latrines have been built in all the 62 villages in the subzone, making the subzone open-defecation-free. Speaking of the hospital’s challenges, Mr. Fiqremaryam said that the two ambulances serving communities in the subzone are doing a good job but calls on authorities to increase the number of ambulances to meet the current needs of the communities.