Progress in Eritrea's Health Sector-Impressive and Exemplary
Sophia Tesfamariam
June 02, 2008
In my previous article, "Food Security: A Look at Eritrea's Strategies of Success", I addressed Eritrea´s self-reliance policy and development of Eritrea´s agricultural infrastructures to ensure food security, a strategy pursued long before independence, improved and enhanced after liberation. Today I want to take a look at Eritrea´s Health Sector by going back into history and the Eritrean People´s Liberation Front´s (EPLF) healthcare system, which laid the foundation for Eritrea´s system today. There has been much effort to undermine the Government and people of Eritrea in the last 10 years, but despite all the negative campaigns by the mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia, its handlers and its surrogates, Eritrea´s progress is not just impressive but also exemplary!
In order to talk about the progress in independent Eritrea, it is important to understand Eritrea´s vision and aspirations and dreams of the Eritrean people and how they intended to achieve their goals and objectives. The struggle for independence was not limited to fighting to liberate the land from Ethiopian occupation, but rather it was also a fight against illiteracy, ignorance and backwardness. The 30-year war for Eritrea´s independence not only cost the lives of thousands, but also left thousands more maimed and injured. In addition to the 70,000 combatants who were killed in the war, thousands sustained severe disabilities and injuries and the bombardment by successive Ethiopian regimes of Eritrean villages and towns left huge civilian casualties that depended solely on the EPLF for care
The Eritrean People´s Liberation Front (EPLF), understanding its responsibilities and obligations to the people of Eritrea not only built schools but also healthcare stations in the liberated areas of Eritrea to care for those in the areas under its control. In 1981 the EPLF introduced the Eritrean Public Health Programme (EPHP), which aimed to establish a comprehensive programme of primary health care throughout EPLF-controlled zones. The EPLF strived to provide adequate water supplies, improve the physical well being of the population through nutritional programs and health education. The Front focused on services for women and children and promoted breastfeeding, family planning and immunization as well as a wide range of therapeutic services. The EPLF´s healthcare delivery infrastructure included an underground hospital in Sahel, complete with operating rooms, laboratories and more. It also trained health providers and manufactured medicines.
The EPHP operated at three levels: a community health service at village level and based on the services of a village health worker and traditional birth attendants (TBA), both of whom received intensive training; health stations at sub-district level servicing populations of approximately 10,000 people; and health centers which supported the health stations and serviced up to 50,000 people. The health centers were, in turn, supported by a number of regional hospitals and one central hospital in Orota, which provided major surgery for the numerous war casualties. A number of EPLF factories were set up to manufacture basic medicine. By 1989 inaccessible rural areas within the liberated zones were serviced by 40 mobile clinics.
In contrast to many other liberation movements during the Cold War, the EPLF had to rely on its own resources. All of the worlds´ major powers supported successive Ethiopian regimes at one time or another, to subjugate the Eritrean people. The EPLF remained committed to the dreams and aspirations of the Eritrean people and worked hard to meet the needs of the people in the territories it liberated. The EPLF´s efficiency and competency was not limited to its military, it also managed to carry out successful social development programs-healthcare being one. The EPLF introduced great democratization and instilled a sense of self- reliance. As the record will show, ingenuity and reliance on your own human and material resources characterized the EPLF´s history.
Allow me to share an excerpt from an article published on 7 June 1989 in the Canberra Times by Merrill Findlay that speaks to the EPLF´s efforts to provide health care and more. Findlay wrote:
"…By the end of 1988 the Department of Education had established 165 schools throughout the liberated and semi-liberated zones of Eritrea with a total student population of 27,000. The Health Department had trained 2,500 barefoot doctors in peasant communities and established a primary health care system and civilian hospital service better than those of many already independent African states. Other EPLF Departments have recorded similar achievements…"
At independence, Eritrea inherited a dilapidated infrastructure and an inadequate health care system in terms of physical facilities, number of qualified health care providers, equitable distribution of resources, availability of pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies etc. etc. The Government and people of Eritrea were facing overwhelming challenges, but they were not discouraged or deterred.
Whilst enemies of Eritrea and their hired mercenaries (individuals and groups) poked fun at Eritrea´s self reliant policies and used "democracy", "religious freedom", "free press" and "human rights" as pretexts to undermine and disrupt Eritrea´s peace, stability and security as well as Eritrea´s development policies, the Government and people of Eritrea, remained committed to their vision for Eritrea and set out to implement their strategies, step by step, with help from Eritrea´s development partners and Eritrean nationals. The fruits of their efforts are visible throughout the country.
In November 2007, I had the opportunity to travel to Eritrea and visit the Ministry of Health to tour its facilities, hospitals and the health care centers around Asmara, the Eritrean capital. During my previous visits to Eritrea, I visited the referral Hospitals in all 6 regions. In Barentu, Ghindae, Mendefera and my favorite, the Dhtum Hospital in Assab, in the Southern Red Sea Region, I saw first hand, the ingenuity and craftsmanship of Eritrea´s Army Core of Engineers-working under the National Warsay Yikaalo Program for Development, designing and building amongst other structures, world class modern health facilities in cities and towns across Eritrea.
Compared to the number of health care facilities built in Eritrea by successive colonialists (Italians, British and Ethiopians) during their more than 100 year long occupation, the Government of Eritrea (GoE), in just the last 17 years, has built more than all of them put together. 13 new hospitals, 19 new health centers and 112 new health stations have been constructed all over Eritrea. But building new facilities, or rehabilitating and upgrading existing facilities is not the end of the story; it´s only the beginning, as the health care system required so much more. The GoE and the Ministry of Health (MoH) have had to equip the facilities with the necessary equipments, medical supplies and most importantly had to develop the medical human resource infrastructure.
The Ministry of Health (MoH), through its many colleges and schools has been training health care professionals to meet the needs of the expanding health care system. The Orotta School of Medicine, which began its educational program in 2004 with 32 medical students, has now grown fivefold to around 180 medical students. In addition, the Asmara College of Health Sciences, the Asmara College of Nursing and Health Technology are also producing health care providers to fulfill the human resource needs at the various facilities around the country.
The Orotta Post-graduate School, a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Health, George Washington University Medical Center and Physicians for Peace, officially opened on 4 December 2007 to train students specializing in pediatrics and surgery. I got a chance to visit the facilities in November 2007 as they prepared for the inauguration. Dr. Haile Mezghebe, an Eritrean national from the USA, is spearheading this effort and along with his American counterparts, has set up this very promising post graduate educational institute which will undoubtedly improve the healthcare system in Eritrea. While there are dedicated Eritrean nationals, like Dr. Haile Mesghebe, that are contributing to Eritrea´s development, there are a few shameless individuals and groups who have campaigned to undermine their efforts.
For instance, I was not surprised to read a letter that was sent by a disconnected saboteur to the Dean of George Washington University urging the group not to support the establishment of this specialization school in Eritrea. Suffice it to present an excerpt from that self-serving letter to illustrate the extent that some myopic and selfish Eritreans (if he is really one) will go to impose their will on the Government and people of Eritrea:
"…I greatly appreciated the George Washington University Medical Centre for taking this initiative, especially the paediatric residency program…although the partnership is an excellent idea, I strongly believe that the intention of your partner, the government of Eritrea, is not working for the benefit of the Eritrean people. The government wants to divert the attention of the international community (especially academic bodies) from the current issue of the closing down of the 50 year old University of Asmara the sole Higher Education Institute in the country last September 2006…"
More on this individual and his ilk in future articles. The Folks at GW did not fall for his narrow minded and vindictive politics, they were there to save lives and improve the well being of the Eritrean people in partnership with the Government of Eritrea and they are doing a marvelous job.
Dr. Haile Mezghebe, a long-time member of Physicians for Peace (PFP) has organized several PFP sponsored medical and educational activities in Eritrea over the last few years. Over four million dollars worth of supplies and equipment have been donated to Eritrea through PFP. PFP doctors and nurse volunteers have operated on over 500 patients with very difficult medical conditions from all over Eritrea. PFP, under the leadership of Dr. Karen Remley and in collaboration with the Ronald McDonald Foundation, introduced Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) to Eritrea. As a result, Eritrea is now the only country in the continent of Africa to have over sixty American Medical Association Certified PALS providers and 20 PALS instructors. Dr. Haile Mezghebe and others are now living and working in Eritrea. As they say, the camel will keep marching on, and the dogs will continue to bark.
Collaborative efforts between the Eritrean Diaspora and the EPLF then, and Government of Eritrea continue to this day. Touring the various health facilities in Eritrea gave me a chance to see first hand the results of such collaborations and partnerships. As I visited Orotta Hospital and its many institutions, I got a chance to see the visiting doctors associated with the German Hammer Forum Association, tour their facilities and watch them work-performing heart surgery on infants and children. The German Hammer Forum Association has been conducting heart surgery in Eritrea with the collaboration of the Ministry of Health since 2002.
I was in awe as I watched visiting German surgeons and their Eritrean counterparts performing heart surgery on children and new born infants, and was equally impressed with the quality care given to premature children at the world class neonatal care center. The Association has provided care for about 4000 children in the country and over 300 who were given treatment in Germany thus far. The Halibet Burn Center, a 20-room center equipped with a state of the art operating room, reception hall and offices, with accommodations for up to 17 patients, is another collaborative effort between the Hammer Forum Association and the Ministry of Health. The Center was inaugurated in April 2008.
Speaking of inaugurations, the National Blood Bank and Transfusion Center (NBTC) became operational in 2002. It is the major supplier of safe blood to all national and zonal referral hospitals and Zonal Blood banks. During the struggle for independence, the EPLF set up a Blood Bank at the underground Orotta hospital in 1984 with four roving branches to meet the demand of blood in the battlefield. After independence, the Eritrean Blood Bank was initially established at the Mekane Hiwot Hospital and in 8 hospitals around the country. In Eritrea, blood safety is recognized as a national public health priority. The Government of Eritrea is committed to provide safe and adequate quantities of blood and blood products for treatment in all public and private hospitals in all regions of Eritrea.
In 1984, the EPLF established an underground pharmaceutical factory that manufactured 44 items, including tablets, capsules, IV fluids and ointments fulfilling 40% of local needs for these items. In 2003, the Azel Pharmaceutical Company was formed following a joint venture between the GoE and the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company. Aziel produces more than 32 products covering 12 therapeutic ranges. It produces pharmaceutical products, not just for the local market, but also for export to African countries. The MoH continues to work to improve the availability and accessibility of essential medicines nationwide.
I cannot write about collaborative efforts with Eritrea without mentioning Fred Hollows, an ophthalmologist and a true and loyal friend of the Eritrean people. Not all that came to Eritrea came in friendship-as has become evident of late. Dr. Fred Hollows´ relationship with Eritrea began in 1986 when he visited with the EPLF in Sahel. Here is what he had to say about Eritrea and the people of Eritrea:
"…I know that there are many different classes, ethnic groups, levels of education and religion that make up the amalgum that is Eritrea - but for me the factor that set Eritrea apart from other third-world situations that I have worked in is the level of consciousness about the history, nature and direction of the Eritrean struggle for freedom and peace…"
According to the Fred Hollows Foundation:
"…Fred loved Eritrea with a passion, and Eritrea loved him too. He first visited in 1986 when Eritrea was still fighting for independence from Ethiopia…To Fred's never-ending amazement, he found a country of determined, committed and innovative people. They were manufacturing medical supplies and running a hospital underground in the mountains, while bombs fell around…Fred decided then and there, that if they could do that underground, they could make intraocular lenses (IOLs) underground too, if they had to. Cataracts were the most common form of blindness in the country, caused in part by poor nutrition and significantly by the extraordinarily brilliant light of this desert country all year round…That was the beginning of Fred's campaign to build a lens factory in Eritrea…"
Dr. Fred Hollows understood the people of Eritrea´s vision for a self-reliant independent Eritrea. Dr. Hollows, an honorary Eritrean citizen, visited Eritrea several times to get the program in place, taking other surgeons to teach modern cataract surgery to five ophthalmic assistants, to follow up on training and to deliver equipment.
The Fred Hollows Foundation continues to work in Eritrea training an eye doctors and paramedic cataract surgeons. His commitment to Eritrea has earned him the respect of all Eritreans and especially the many thousands whose eyesight has been improved by the Fred Hollows Intraocular Lens Laboratory that was established in 1994 shortly after his death in 1993. It's located on Fred Hollows Street, not far from the Fred Hollows Kindergarten! It continues to produce high quality lens, not only to meet internal needs, and also for export.
So, where is Eritrea today?
In 1999 Eritrea introduced policies, strategies and multi- level interventions targeting households, communities and health facilities to combat malaria and other communicable diseases. The comprehensive HIV/AIDS, Malaria, STDS and TB (HAMSET) Control Project has registered globally recognized success. In 2000, African leaders got together in Abuja and adopted the Abuja Declaration, which called for a 50% reduction in malaria mortality by 2010. Within 5 years Eritrea met the Abuja Declaration objectives through multiple vector-control methods, case management and surveillance.
Eritrea won broad acclaim and was cited as an exemplary nation at the recent (May 2008) Burkina Faso International Conference on Basic Health Care for its success in reducing child and maternal mortality as well as for reducing incidents of malaria by 90%. Eritrea has also eradicated polio and neonatal tetanus measles. Eritrea is receiving global acclaim for its successful interventions and primary care treatment. It has also met the Millennium Development Goals for reducing incidents of HIV and Malaria by 2015 as well as reduced child mortality and improved maternal health.
As we look at Eritrea´s overall development since attaining independence on 24 May 1991, Eritrea´s progress in the health sector is not only impressive but also exemplary. The Government of Eritrea remains committed to providing the best health care possible for the population. The infrastructures, roads, hospitals, clinics and mobile units make it possible for all to receive healthcare within a few kilometers from their homes. That does not mean that Eritrea, a developing nation is not facing challenges, including shortage of skilled human resources as well as financial constraints, but in Eritrea, ingenuity and a can-do attitude make up for lack of resources and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
More on Eritrea´s development efforts next time.
In order to talk about the progress in independent Eritrea, it is important to understand Eritrea´s vision and aspirations and dreams of the Eritrean people and how they intended to achieve their goals and objectives. The struggle for independence was not limited to fighting to liberate the land from Ethiopian occupation, but rather it was also a fight against illiteracy, ignorance and backwardness. The 30-year war for Eritrea´s independence not only cost the lives of thousands, but also left thousands more maimed and injured. In addition to the 70,000 combatants who were killed in the war, thousands sustained severe disabilities and injuries and the bombardment by successive Ethiopian regimes of Eritrean villages and towns left huge civilian casualties that depended solely on the EPLF for care
The Eritrean People´s Liberation Front (EPLF), understanding its responsibilities and obligations to the people of Eritrea not only built schools but also healthcare stations in the liberated areas of Eritrea to care for those in the areas under its control. In 1981 the EPLF introduced the Eritrean Public Health Programme (EPHP), which aimed to establish a comprehensive programme of primary health care throughout EPLF-controlled zones. The EPLF strived to provide adequate water supplies, improve the physical well being of the population through nutritional programs and health education. The Front focused on services for women and children and promoted breastfeeding, family planning and immunization as well as a wide range of therapeutic services. The EPLF´s healthcare delivery infrastructure included an underground hospital in Sahel, complete with operating rooms, laboratories and more. It also trained health providers and manufactured medicines.
The EPHP operated at three levels: a community health service at village level and based on the services of a village health worker and traditional birth attendants (TBA), both of whom received intensive training; health stations at sub-district level servicing populations of approximately 10,000 people; and health centers which supported the health stations and serviced up to 50,000 people. The health centers were, in turn, supported by a number of regional hospitals and one central hospital in Orota, which provided major surgery for the numerous war casualties. A number of EPLF factories were set up to manufacture basic medicine. By 1989 inaccessible rural areas within the liberated zones were serviced by 40 mobile clinics.
In contrast to many other liberation movements during the Cold War, the EPLF had to rely on its own resources. All of the worlds´ major powers supported successive Ethiopian regimes at one time or another, to subjugate the Eritrean people. The EPLF remained committed to the dreams and aspirations of the Eritrean people and worked hard to meet the needs of the people in the territories it liberated. The EPLF´s efficiency and competency was not limited to its military, it also managed to carry out successful social development programs-healthcare being one. The EPLF introduced great democratization and instilled a sense of self- reliance. As the record will show, ingenuity and reliance on your own human and material resources characterized the EPLF´s history.
Allow me to share an excerpt from an article published on 7 June 1989 in the Canberra Times by Merrill Findlay that speaks to the EPLF´s efforts to provide health care and more. Findlay wrote:
"…By the end of 1988 the Department of Education had established 165 schools throughout the liberated and semi-liberated zones of Eritrea with a total student population of 27,000. The Health Department had trained 2,500 barefoot doctors in peasant communities and established a primary health care system and civilian hospital service better than those of many already independent African states. Other EPLF Departments have recorded similar achievements…"
At independence, Eritrea inherited a dilapidated infrastructure and an inadequate health care system in terms of physical facilities, number of qualified health care providers, equitable distribution of resources, availability of pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies etc. etc. The Government and people of Eritrea were facing overwhelming challenges, but they were not discouraged or deterred.
Whilst enemies of Eritrea and their hired mercenaries (individuals and groups) poked fun at Eritrea´s self reliant policies and used "democracy", "religious freedom", "free press" and "human rights" as pretexts to undermine and disrupt Eritrea´s peace, stability and security as well as Eritrea´s development policies, the Government and people of Eritrea, remained committed to their vision for Eritrea and set out to implement their strategies, step by step, with help from Eritrea´s development partners and Eritrean nationals. The fruits of their efforts are visible throughout the country.
In November 2007, I had the opportunity to travel to Eritrea and visit the Ministry of Health to tour its facilities, hospitals and the health care centers around Asmara, the Eritrean capital. During my previous visits to Eritrea, I visited the referral Hospitals in all 6 regions. In Barentu, Ghindae, Mendefera and my favorite, the Dhtum Hospital in Assab, in the Southern Red Sea Region, I saw first hand, the ingenuity and craftsmanship of Eritrea´s Army Core of Engineers-working under the National Warsay Yikaalo Program for Development, designing and building amongst other structures, world class modern health facilities in cities and towns across Eritrea.
Compared to the number of health care facilities built in Eritrea by successive colonialists (Italians, British and Ethiopians) during their more than 100 year long occupation, the Government of Eritrea (GoE), in just the last 17 years, has built more than all of them put together. 13 new hospitals, 19 new health centers and 112 new health stations have been constructed all over Eritrea. But building new facilities, or rehabilitating and upgrading existing facilities is not the end of the story; it´s only the beginning, as the health care system required so much more. The GoE and the Ministry of Health (MoH) have had to equip the facilities with the necessary equipments, medical supplies and most importantly had to develop the medical human resource infrastructure.
The Ministry of Health (MoH), through its many colleges and schools has been training health care professionals to meet the needs of the expanding health care system. The Orotta School of Medicine, which began its educational program in 2004 with 32 medical students, has now grown fivefold to around 180 medical students. In addition, the Asmara College of Health Sciences, the Asmara College of Nursing and Health Technology are also producing health care providers to fulfill the human resource needs at the various facilities around the country.
The Orotta Post-graduate School, a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Health, George Washington University Medical Center and Physicians for Peace, officially opened on 4 December 2007 to train students specializing in pediatrics and surgery. I got a chance to visit the facilities in November 2007 as they prepared for the inauguration. Dr. Haile Mezghebe, an Eritrean national from the USA, is spearheading this effort and along with his American counterparts, has set up this very promising post graduate educational institute which will undoubtedly improve the healthcare system in Eritrea. While there are dedicated Eritrean nationals, like Dr. Haile Mesghebe, that are contributing to Eritrea´s development, there are a few shameless individuals and groups who have campaigned to undermine their efforts.
For instance, I was not surprised to read a letter that was sent by a disconnected saboteur to the Dean of George Washington University urging the group not to support the establishment of this specialization school in Eritrea. Suffice it to present an excerpt from that self-serving letter to illustrate the extent that some myopic and selfish Eritreans (if he is really one) will go to impose their will on the Government and people of Eritrea:
"…I greatly appreciated the George Washington University Medical Centre for taking this initiative, especially the paediatric residency program…although the partnership is an excellent idea, I strongly believe that the intention of your partner, the government of Eritrea, is not working for the benefit of the Eritrean people. The government wants to divert the attention of the international community (especially academic bodies) from the current issue of the closing down of the 50 year old University of Asmara the sole Higher Education Institute in the country last September 2006…"
More on this individual and his ilk in future articles. The Folks at GW did not fall for his narrow minded and vindictive politics, they were there to save lives and improve the well being of the Eritrean people in partnership with the Government of Eritrea and they are doing a marvelous job.
Dr. Haile Mezghebe, a long-time member of Physicians for Peace (PFP) has organized several PFP sponsored medical and educational activities in Eritrea over the last few years. Over four million dollars worth of supplies and equipment have been donated to Eritrea through PFP. PFP doctors and nurse volunteers have operated on over 500 patients with very difficult medical conditions from all over Eritrea. PFP, under the leadership of Dr. Karen Remley and in collaboration with the Ronald McDonald Foundation, introduced Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) to Eritrea. As a result, Eritrea is now the only country in the continent of Africa to have over sixty American Medical Association Certified PALS providers and 20 PALS instructors. Dr. Haile Mezghebe and others are now living and working in Eritrea. As they say, the camel will keep marching on, and the dogs will continue to bark.
Collaborative efforts between the Eritrean Diaspora and the EPLF then, and Government of Eritrea continue to this day. Touring the various health facilities in Eritrea gave me a chance to see first hand the results of such collaborations and partnerships. As I visited Orotta Hospital and its many institutions, I got a chance to see the visiting doctors associated with the German Hammer Forum Association, tour their facilities and watch them work-performing heart surgery on infants and children. The German Hammer Forum Association has been conducting heart surgery in Eritrea with the collaboration of the Ministry of Health since 2002.
I was in awe as I watched visiting German surgeons and their Eritrean counterparts performing heart surgery on children and new born infants, and was equally impressed with the quality care given to premature children at the world class neonatal care center. The Association has provided care for about 4000 children in the country and over 300 who were given treatment in Germany thus far. The Halibet Burn Center, a 20-room center equipped with a state of the art operating room, reception hall and offices, with accommodations for up to 17 patients, is another collaborative effort between the Hammer Forum Association and the Ministry of Health. The Center was inaugurated in April 2008.
Speaking of inaugurations, the National Blood Bank and Transfusion Center (NBTC) became operational in 2002. It is the major supplier of safe blood to all national and zonal referral hospitals and Zonal Blood banks. During the struggle for independence, the EPLF set up a Blood Bank at the underground Orotta hospital in 1984 with four roving branches to meet the demand of blood in the battlefield. After independence, the Eritrean Blood Bank was initially established at the Mekane Hiwot Hospital and in 8 hospitals around the country. In Eritrea, blood safety is recognized as a national public health priority. The Government of Eritrea is committed to provide safe and adequate quantities of blood and blood products for treatment in all public and private hospitals in all regions of Eritrea.
In 1984, the EPLF established an underground pharmaceutical factory that manufactured 44 items, including tablets, capsules, IV fluids and ointments fulfilling 40% of local needs for these items. In 2003, the Azel Pharmaceutical Company was formed following a joint venture between the GoE and the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company. Aziel produces more than 32 products covering 12 therapeutic ranges. It produces pharmaceutical products, not just for the local market, but also for export to African countries. The MoH continues to work to improve the availability and accessibility of essential medicines nationwide.
I cannot write about collaborative efforts with Eritrea without mentioning Fred Hollows, an ophthalmologist and a true and loyal friend of the Eritrean people. Not all that came to Eritrea came in friendship-as has become evident of late. Dr. Fred Hollows´ relationship with Eritrea began in 1986 when he visited with the EPLF in Sahel. Here is what he had to say about Eritrea and the people of Eritrea:
"…I know that there are many different classes, ethnic groups, levels of education and religion that make up the amalgum that is Eritrea - but for me the factor that set Eritrea apart from other third-world situations that I have worked in is the level of consciousness about the history, nature and direction of the Eritrean struggle for freedom and peace…"
According to the Fred Hollows Foundation:
"…Fred loved Eritrea with a passion, and Eritrea loved him too. He first visited in 1986 when Eritrea was still fighting for independence from Ethiopia…To Fred's never-ending amazement, he found a country of determined, committed and innovative people. They were manufacturing medical supplies and running a hospital underground in the mountains, while bombs fell around…Fred decided then and there, that if they could do that underground, they could make intraocular lenses (IOLs) underground too, if they had to. Cataracts were the most common form of blindness in the country, caused in part by poor nutrition and significantly by the extraordinarily brilliant light of this desert country all year round…That was the beginning of Fred's campaign to build a lens factory in Eritrea…"
Dr. Fred Hollows understood the people of Eritrea´s vision for a self-reliant independent Eritrea. Dr. Hollows, an honorary Eritrean citizen, visited Eritrea several times to get the program in place, taking other surgeons to teach modern cataract surgery to five ophthalmic assistants, to follow up on training and to deliver equipment.
The Fred Hollows Foundation continues to work in Eritrea training an eye doctors and paramedic cataract surgeons. His commitment to Eritrea has earned him the respect of all Eritreans and especially the many thousands whose eyesight has been improved by the Fred Hollows Intraocular Lens Laboratory that was established in 1994 shortly after his death in 1993. It's located on Fred Hollows Street, not far from the Fred Hollows Kindergarten! It continues to produce high quality lens, not only to meet internal needs, and also for export.
So, where is Eritrea today?
In 1999 Eritrea introduced policies, strategies and multi- level interventions targeting households, communities and health facilities to combat malaria and other communicable diseases. The comprehensive HIV/AIDS, Malaria, STDS and TB (HAMSET) Control Project has registered globally recognized success. In 2000, African leaders got together in Abuja and adopted the Abuja Declaration, which called for a 50% reduction in malaria mortality by 2010. Within 5 years Eritrea met the Abuja Declaration objectives through multiple vector-control methods, case management and surveillance.
Eritrea won broad acclaim and was cited as an exemplary nation at the recent (May 2008) Burkina Faso International Conference on Basic Health Care for its success in reducing child and maternal mortality as well as for reducing incidents of malaria by 90%. Eritrea has also eradicated polio and neonatal tetanus measles. Eritrea is receiving global acclaim for its successful interventions and primary care treatment. It has also met the Millennium Development Goals for reducing incidents of HIV and Malaria by 2015 as well as reduced child mortality and improved maternal health.
As we look at Eritrea´s overall development since attaining independence on 24 May 1991, Eritrea´s progress in the health sector is not only impressive but also exemplary. The Government of Eritrea remains committed to providing the best health care possible for the population. The infrastructures, roads, hospitals, clinics and mobile units make it possible for all to receive healthcare within a few kilometers from their homes. That does not mean that Eritrea, a developing nation is not facing challenges, including shortage of skilled human resources as well as financial constraints, but in Eritrea, ingenuity and a can-do attitude make up for lack of resources and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
More on Eritrea´s development efforts next time.
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