Mobile Health Clinics take health services to remote areas
UNICEF supports the Ministry of Health in Puntland
Members of the mobile health and nutrition team measure the height of a child at Abuur Village in Qardo. Operated by Puntland Ministry of Health, this mobile health and nutrition clinic comes twice a month to this rural and hard-to-reach area of Puntland.
A member of the mobile health and nutrition team screens a child at a makeshift shelter in Abuur Village, 10km from Qardo town. The community is pleased that these services have been brought to their doorstep, thus alleviating the challenges of having to travel long distances, often in hot weather and harsh terrain, to access these services.
Women and children in Qardo, situated 230km from Garowe, the capital of Puntland state, being attended to by a mobile health and nutrition team. Twice a month, residents from the village and surrounding areas come here to receive health and nutrition services at no cost. For a community vulnerable to disease and malnutrition because of multiple droughts, this service is a life saver.
The mobile health and nutrition team screens children for malnutrition and immediately puts those who are malnourished on treatment using the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food. Malnourished children with a medical complication are referred to a hospital for specialized treatment. The team also holds medical consultations, checks on pregnant and lactating women, and treats common childhood diseases. To prevent malnutrition, the team also supplies children with nutritious high energy biscuits.
A nurse at the dispensing station hands a patient the medication and explains the prescription. The medical supplies are provided by UNICEF.
Hawa, a 35-year-old mother, brought her youngest child Ahmed to the clinic. He had been vomiting and had fever. As the diligent nurses attend to the child, Hawa says “I don’t know where I would have taken my child for treatment were it not for this team here. They camp in our village and give us quality care at no cost. This is a relief for me since I cannot afford the cost of medication.”
This is the makeshift shelter where the mobile health and nutrition team has set camp. Inside are a table and chairs provided by the community. Word spreads quickly and the whole village comes alive with residents, mostly pregnant and lactating women and children, flocking to the clinic.
The mobile health and nutrition programme is supported by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).
