Gilead Sciences Inc., a drug company based in California, has licensed Sovaldi, its highly effective but expensive Hepatitis C drug, to seven Indian drug companies to distribute the drug to 91 developing countries at a much lower cost.
With approximately 180 million people suffering from Hepatitis C and nearly 350,000 dying each year in countries of low- and middle-income, the licensing will allow many of these people to receive treatment they most likely would not have been able to receive at the original cost.
The licensing agreement provides the Indian companies with direct access to Gilead’s manufacturing process so that production can be scaled up immediately and as quickly as possible.
Hepatitis C is typically transmitted through medical procedures, intravenous drug use or sexual intercourse, and it can remain undetected and unnoticed for a number years, eventually causing liver scarring and failure.
Chemically known as sofosbuvir, Sovaldi is radically more effective than previous injection regimens. Clinical trials showed a 90 percent cure rate after 12 weeks of treatment, a substantial increase over the 60 percent cure rate of previous treatments. Moreover, previous treatments had typically required taking numerous pills a day and antiviral injections, making the routine of Sovaldi, one pill a day, particularly appealing as well.
However, Gilead has received criticism regarding how extraordinarily expensive the drug is, costing $1,000 for one pill or $84,000 for a 12-week course in the United States. Its next-generation is expected to cost even more.
Gilead is planning to release its own brand of the drug in India for about $10 a pill or 1 percent of the cost in the United States. With India accounting for more than half of the world’s affected population, the cheap price is especially promising. In addition, Egypt, having the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C in the world, is also going to be provided with Sovaldi at $10 a pill by Gilead.
The seven Indian generic producers are allowed to set their own prices, and Gilead’s planned prices are expected to force the seven Indian companies to charge even lower prices to compete. They are also to pay royalties based on their sales to Gilead under the licensing agreement.
The licensing agreement also includes the next generation of Sovaldi, which is a combination of sofosbuvir and the experimental therapy ledipasvir, currently being tested by U.S. regulators.
In the U.S., officials have said Gilead’s drug could drain Medicaid budgets and increase private insurance premiums. In addition to the intense criticism the company has attracted domestically, Gilead’s licensing choices have attracted criticism due to their omission of middle-income countries that struggle to afford Sovaldi as well.
In more developed countries that were not included in the licensing agreements, such as China and Brazil, Gregg Alton, Gilead’s executive vice president, has stated Gilead will sell the drug at more than $10 a pill.
Regardless of the controversial nature of the Gilead’s licensing choices, the provision of a cheaper Hepatitis C drug to much of the world’s affect population is going to make a powerful impact and serve to help alleviate poverty around the world.
– William Ying
Sources: Gilead, Reuters, New York Times, Time, Wall Street Journal
Photo: Flickr
IRD Fights Suffering On Many Levels
Picture a world without suffering. Is it possible?
To some this may be but a far-fetched dream, but Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr. has set out to make this dream a reality.
Founded in 1998, Dr. Keys and his wife, Jasna, established International Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization that fights to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized population through active engagement, empowerment and inclusion.
Over the years, IRD has provided $3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to over 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Ethiopia, Iraq and Ukraine. The organization heavily focuses on conflict zones and areas damaged by natural disasters. To improve the livelihoods of these people, the IRD believes it is best to provide the resources and training to become self-sufficient. Thus, rather than just providing clean water to a community suffering from drought, International Relief and Development aims to address the root causes of the problem, such as upgrading water pumps and management systems.
IRD has tackled issues ranging from a lack of schools in Haiti to impoverished women in Mozambique to malnourishment among students in Laos. By organizing short-term and long-term interventions, they foster the path to a more developed and prosperous nation. But how does IRD get the funds to take on all these projects?
The nonprofit organization collaborates with many other agencies and donors, one of them being the U.S. Agency for International Development. As a contractor, 4,000 staff members all over the world carry out many of USAID’s programs in hopes to improve infrastructure, healthcare and governance in war-torn countries. The U.S. State Department as well as numerous UN agencies also fund IRD’s annual budget of $400-$500 million.
One of its most recent successes took place among refugees and internally displaced persons in Yemen, a country that hosts over 200,000 people from Eritrea Ethiopia, Iraq and Somalia.
Refugees and internally displaced persons all face similar struggles, but in a place where political instability and high unemployment wreak havoc on daily life, coping with the current circumstances becomes increasingly difficult.
Realizing the dire urgency, IRD has set out to assist the thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons. After assessing the deprivations and needs in the refugee camps, IRD along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees worked to provide monthly allowances to the families. They also distributed thousands of dollars worth of school and medical supplies, hygiene kits and other goods to many school children and families. The United Methodist Committee on Relief donated most of the gifts. IRD also targeted many vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and sexual abuse survivors, by establishing care centers and providing group therapy.
International Relief and Development continues to provide relief and assistance in the world’s hot spots. By going into desperate communities and initiating development, this organization guides countries to economic growth and stabilization. Success stories are seen all over Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, but the range of IRD’s success does not stop there. Success like this is everlasting and enduring.
—Leeda Jewayni
Sources: International Relief and Development, Washington Post, Huffington Post
Bezos Family Foundation Makes Impact
The Bezos Family Foundation was established by Jackie and Mike Bezos while working alongside with children and spouses that serve as the directors, and gives a whole new meaning to family tradition. This private and independent foundation has a vision of all people being prepared to achieve their full potential in life.
There are three main areas on which the foundation focuses. They are are: early learning, K-12 education and youth leadership and global engagement. Through these three areas, the hope is that it will give strengths to people in education and in life skills to every age group.
The first main area the foundation focuses on, as mentioned above, is early learning and through this the members look at science approaches to old problems and gives a new approach to basic development brain research. This research is meant to broaden the understanding of how young children learn and develop.
Through the early learning program the foundation partners with many other organizations, one of which is Acelero Learning, first partnered in 2012. The mission of Acelero Learning is to inspire a positive family and child outcomes to help close the achievement gap and build a better future for children and families.
The next main area that the foundation focuses on is K-12 education. Through this program the foundation supports teaching, school and system leadership. As well as the early learning program there are also partners with organizations that bring thoughtful innovations in K-12—with emphasis on STEM education. The vision for students goes beyond high school and the foundation aims to teach the tools needed to excel in college.
One partner through this program is 50 EGGS, INC. A partner since 2013, 50 EGGS INC. is led by award-winning documentary filmmaker Mary Mazzio. The company is dedicated to creating films that leave a positive social impact.
The last area that the foundation focuses on is youth leadership and global engagement. Supporting young and motivated leaders is the goal through this program, which seeks to do so by providing opportunities to expand awareness of global issues.
A partner for this program since 2005 is the Aspen Institute. This organization fosters values-based leadership and provides a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. Aspen Institute is a Bezos Scholars Program founding partner and the partnership stimulates youth leadership development and global awareness.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: The Aspen Institute, Acelero Learning, Bezos Family Foundation
Bertolt Brecht and His Plays on Poverty
“Poverty makes you sad as well as wise.” So spoke Bertolt Brecht, a playwright in the modern theater whose highly political plays are starting to make a resurgence on a global stage.
Born in Bavaria, Brecht grew to despise and write plays denouncing the middle-class in Germany following World War I. He became a Marxist at a young age and spent his life satirizing capitalism and its marginalization of certain individuals. This political position was partly responsible for the drop in popularity of Brecht’s works during the 80’s and 90’s.
However, the 2008 global financial crisis, which enlarged impoverished classes and exposed flaws in the capitalist model, has lead theaters all over the world to stage Brecht’s plays. Producers have found that audiences are particularly responsive to Brecht’s political themes in today’s economic context. Al Jazeera America reported that stagings of Brecht have not only proliferated in the United States but have also increased in the UK, Ireland, France, Canada and Iran.
According to some scholars, Brecht has lost his status as “sage and prophet of the downtrodden and exploited,” but even if this is true, his works still scrutinize the dehumanizing impact of social, political and economic forces on the individual. This impact is keenly felt by the world’s poor, who figure prominently in Brecht’s plays.
For instance, arguably Brecht’s most famous work, “The Threepenny Opera,” contains some of the playwright’s most penetrating remarks on poverty and capitalism.
One character in the work, Peachum, manufactures fake beggars. His employees meander through London, making people with money feel guilty enough to donate it. This money, essentially stolen from the real beggars, then goes to Peachum. It is a sharp critique of capitalism’s potential to abuse people in the quest for profit.
While most people find Peachum’s methods contemptible, the character’s assessment of the problems facing anyone trying to stoke sympathy in others—a charity, for example—is pellucid. Peachum remarks that a man spotting another man in need will give him tenpence the first time, fivepence the second time and turn him into the police the third.
Thus, the things that “stir [people’s] souls” and make them care about others in need lose their effect over time.
These sorts of commentaries, along with Brecht’s subjects of “inequality, squalor, exploitation and the malleability of human nature,” are still germane in discussions of the modern world. The topics may be even more important as globalization pits developed and developing countries against each other, bringing entrenched models of capitalism to poorer populations.
Make no mistake, capitalism can help to alleviate poverty, but as Brecht’s works remind audiences, it must not alienate the impoverished people who stand to benefit from it.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: Al Jazeera America, Scribd, Book of Famous Quotes, Literature Criticism Online
Photo: SCE
GEFI Makes Progress in India
The five year Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) was launched in September of 2012. Its goal is to provide all people with an education. The GEFI has three main objectives: putting every child in school, improving the quality of learning and fostering global citizenship. The GEFI doesn’t do everything alone, it has a team of partners behind it to aid in the achievement of the three goals. UNDP, UNICEF, U.N. Women and World Bank are just a few of its partners.
The global community pledged to achieve universal primary education by 2015. The U.N. Country Team in India is supportive of the global initiative and this September has proven to be an important month for India.
India is focusing its joint advocacy and communications on the GEFI and has made some priorities of its own. Elementary school is a fundamental right in India and there has been a lot of focus on increasing school locations and ensuring that these schools have plenty of drinking water. The main priorities for India are universal access to education with equity, quality basic education and global citizenship education.
India plans on providing everyone access to education by focusing on equality, especially as it pertains to girls. The number of schools in India providing a separate toilet facility for girls has increased by 37 percent. This means that around 89 million girls have access to toilets; unfortunately, seven million girls are still denied access.
The second priority for India is improving the quality of basic education. In this one priority there are four sub categories that are imperative to its achievement. Learning the basics, having a child friendly school and system, pupil to teacher ratio and teacher training are all things that are being worked on in India.
Lastly, global citizenship education is important because it will lead to a better environment for all. Currently, about 65 percent of India’s population are under the age of 35. Soon, India will become the youngest country in the world and India has deemed it important to educate its people on social responsibility. The purpose of global citizenship education is to equip each generation with values, knowledge and skills. These are all taught with a foundation meant to respect human rights, social justice, diversity, gender equality and environmental sustainability. These are all meant to empower those who are learning to be responsible and educated global citizens.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: United Nations in India, Global Education First Initiative UNESCO
Photo: Flickr
Water for South Sudan
South Sudan lies in the northeastern region of Africa, an area dangerously close to the equator. Due to its location, the country experiences droughts six months of every year and consistent temperatures around 120 degrees. In a place with these conditions, water is crucial.
Every day the people of South Sudan struggle to find water; oftentimes traveling miles only to find water that is contaminated with parasites and bacteria.
Water for South Sudan (WFSS) is an organization that is dedicated to eliminating the struggles facing those in South Sudan to find not just water, but safe water. Nationally it is based in Rochester, New York. The organization believes that with increased access to water comes increased access to education as well as a dynamic economy.
As of this past May, Water for South Sudan had drilled 217 wells for the people of South Sudan. A well can supply clean water to thousands of people. With this expansive progress, over 500,000 South Sudanese are now finally accessing clean water.
According to Guide Star, the basis of contributions to Water for South Sudan come from organizations like schools and churches. Yet, individuals rank as a close second, bringing in over $216,000 from 2011 to 2012.
Water for South Sudan has experienced some difficulties. In December of 2013, conflict arose in Juba, the capital city. However, founder of WFSS, Salva Dut, continued the organization’s aid and continues to advocate for peace.
“We should not give up on that,” said Salva. “War comes and goes in South Sudan, but we will find a way to be peaceful. Peace will come from the people.”
Salva Dut, along with other members, frequently reach out to the U.S. and even travel to Washington D.C. to implore the U.S.’s continued aid and support.
Due to continuous aid, more than just physical ailments have been alleviated. Since these December conflicts, better relationships are being formed among the previously warring people, proving that with increased numbers of wells and a consistent supply of water, people have the ability to better get along.
In addition, the time saved by women and children walking to access water can in turn be dedicated to an education. Thus, gender gaps are beginning to be narrowed, which can only advance the economy.
It starts with a single effort, a single focus, like increased access to water, to influence the long-term goals the world is aiming to achieve.
– Kathleen Lee
Sources: Guide Star
Photo: Huffington Post
Cheaper Hepatitis C Drug for Developing Countries
Gilead Sciences Inc., a drug company based in California, has licensed Sovaldi, its highly effective but expensive Hepatitis C drug, to seven Indian drug companies to distribute the drug to 91 developing countries at a much lower cost.
With approximately 180 million people suffering from Hepatitis C and nearly 350,000 dying each year in countries of low- and middle-income, the licensing will allow many of these people to receive treatment they most likely would not have been able to receive at the original cost.
The licensing agreement provides the Indian companies with direct access to Gilead’s manufacturing process so that production can be scaled up immediately and as quickly as possible.
Hepatitis C is typically transmitted through medical procedures, intravenous drug use or sexual intercourse, and it can remain undetected and unnoticed for a number years, eventually causing liver scarring and failure.
Chemically known as sofosbuvir, Sovaldi is radically more effective than previous injection regimens. Clinical trials showed a 90 percent cure rate after 12 weeks of treatment, a substantial increase over the 60 percent cure rate of previous treatments. Moreover, previous treatments had typically required taking numerous pills a day and antiviral injections, making the routine of Sovaldi, one pill a day, particularly appealing as well.
However, Gilead has received criticism regarding how extraordinarily expensive the drug is, costing $1,000 for one pill or $84,000 for a 12-week course in the United States. Its next-generation is expected to cost even more.
Gilead is planning to release its own brand of the drug in India for about $10 a pill or 1 percent of the cost in the United States. With India accounting for more than half of the world’s affected population, the cheap price is especially promising. In addition, Egypt, having the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C in the world, is also going to be provided with Sovaldi at $10 a pill by Gilead.
The seven Indian generic producers are allowed to set their own prices, and Gilead’s planned prices are expected to force the seven Indian companies to charge even lower prices to compete. They are also to pay royalties based on their sales to Gilead under the licensing agreement.
The licensing agreement also includes the next generation of Sovaldi, which is a combination of sofosbuvir and the experimental therapy ledipasvir, currently being tested by U.S. regulators.
In the U.S., officials have said Gilead’s drug could drain Medicaid budgets and increase private insurance premiums. In addition to the intense criticism the company has attracted domestically, Gilead’s licensing choices have attracted criticism due to their omission of middle-income countries that struggle to afford Sovaldi as well.
In more developed countries that were not included in the licensing agreements, such as China and Brazil, Gregg Alton, Gilead’s executive vice president, has stated Gilead will sell the drug at more than $10 a pill.
Regardless of the controversial nature of the Gilead’s licensing choices, the provision of a cheaper Hepatitis C drug to much of the world’s affect population is going to make a powerful impact and serve to help alleviate poverty around the world.
– William Ying
Sources: Gilead, Reuters, New York Times, Time, Wall Street Journal
Photo: Flickr
Hunger in Bhutan
Background
The United Nations Children’s Fund reported that Bhutan reached Low-Middle-Income status in 2007, and in 2023 graduated from the Least Developed Country group. Still, 2022 saw multidimensional poverty at 17.8%, with over 61% of the poor in rural areas and children disproportionately poor (20.7%). Issues include access to health, quality and inclusiveness of social services, neonatal mortality, child protection, gender equality and women’s empowerment and youth unemployment.
Malnutrition and hunger in Bhutan are nothing new for the country or its policymakers. In November 2023, it was reported to UNICEF that malnutrition continued to be a public health concern in Bhutan. Both UNICEF and the World Food Programme refer to Bhutan’s “triple burden” of malnutrition: undernutrition, overnutrition (overweight and obesity) and micronutrient deficiencies.
UNICEF notes that 23% of children under 5 suffer from undernutrition with stunting. In addition, adolescent girls and women experience micronutrient deficiencies and 45% of the population is not able to afford a healthy diet. WFP notes that 86% of Bhutanese are not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
School Feeding Programs
UNICEF and WFP have partnered with several Bhutan ministries—Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Health (MoH) and Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL) to address these deficiencies through national school feeding and nutrition policies and strategies. UNICEF, WFP and the Ministry of Health revised the 2020-2030 National Health Policy and developed a five-year action plan through 2025. WFP has worked with the MoESD to draft a National School Feeding Strategy and a social behavior change strategy.
School nutrition strategies include:
Research in 2022 on dietary behavior led to the implementation in 15 schools of a strategy and action plan to promote nutritious diets. Social media, school curricula and children’s TV were all employed as various media advocacy campaigns were launched. Collaboration with the Tarayana Foundation supported grassroots outreach and advocacy programs in 16 rural communities.
WFP also worked with the government to increase food fortification in schools, monastic institutions and gradually in the wider community.
Breastfeeding Support
UNICEF’s focus also includes attention to pregnant women, new mothers and babies and young toddlers. Breastfeeding, feeding practices, nurturing care and other means of supporting the best nutrition growth and development are emphasized. In addition to addressing anemia, low birth weight and stunting, UNICEF advocates for restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods and breastmilk substitutes.
The UNICEF and WFP partnerships have targeted objectives that specifically relate to the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. Bhutan still has work to do to achieve this goal but is making progress. While stunting in children under 5 continues to be a major challenge, wasting in children under 5 is now considered a lesser challenge, and the prevalence of obesity is decreasing.
– Staff Reports
Photo: Flickr
Updated: July 28, 2024
Education in Oman Under Fire?
“Sanuallimu awladana walaw tahta thilli shagarah” means “We will provide education for our children even in the shadow of a tree.” It has been the mantra for many Omanis over the last three decades. It was the dream of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who in 1970 vowed to make education available to all citizens of his country.
In 30 years, the country went from having three schools educating 909 males to over a thousand schools educating hundreds of thousands of students, both male and female. This great push in education is just one of the many initiatives that has sent Oman forward into industrialization.
Despite this very dramatic change in Oman, recent numbers show a decrease in the number of students taking advantage of the Oman education system. According to the Times of Oman, “31,608 seats in government educational institutions were available for students this year. However, 4,312 seats, 14 percent of the total, remained vacant at the end of the registration process on July 26.”
Education in Oman is free and it is not mandatory, so why would so many youth forgo the opportunity to bettering themselves and their country? Dr. Richard N. Rutter and Dr. Awadh Ali Al Mamari, educators at Sohar University, offered up quite a few concerns about the Omani education system: “Currently, Oman is still having to import vital technical and academic skills from abroad, rather than being able to develop its own base of domestic expertise.”
Another problem facing Oman higher education is the lack of Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. These are a set of values measured over time, and they are used to compare institutions with one another. With the education system expanding so rapidly and no KPIs in place, students and parents are becoming increasingly confused as to which institution will provide an appropriate learning and research experience.
The Omani government has taken notice of this alarming decrease and the reasons for it. That is why they have announced a moratorium on approvals for universities over the next three years. This necessary pause is so the Education Council can investigate the current standards of the universities.
The government has also decided to raise the bar further so that Omani students are on the same level as other countries. The budget allocations for 2014 show that the government is investing 2.6 billion rials in education. This is a little over 18 percent of the country’s total budget.
While Dr. Rutter and Dr. Ali Al Mamari were critical of the current standards of education in Oman, they did offer this silver lining: “Oman has the chance to learn from the drawbacks of established KPI regimes and to institute league tables which truly reflect the goals of the country’s education strategy.”
– Frederick Wood II
Sources: Global Arab Network, Times of Oman, Zawya
Photo: Oman Medical College
Poverty Simulation Enriches Lives
It is a bold move towards unraveling many of the myths that surround the modern American family currently in poverty. Gayle Gifford of Cause and Effect summed it up as the views that many upper and middle class Americans have about those in poverty. “For many of my middle-class peers, the notion that lots of people in our community simply cannot earn enough to pay the minimum costs of food, shelter and health care, no matter how hard they work, just makes no sense in light of their own life experiences. To them, it seems the poor have chosen poverty.”
The Community Action Poverty Simulation, originally developed by the Missouri Association for Community Action, seeks to enlighten people on what it truly means to live in poverty and the process on how to get out. The poverty represented is not living on a dollar a day or less, but living in conjunction with government assistance, difficult circumstances and the daily stress one carries around while in poverty.
The simulation is divided into a series of 15 minute intervals each representing a week in a month. Members of the simulation are broken up into families and assigned roles. They are also given scenarios and background on their roles to better understand the conditions they are living in. When the buzzer sounds each member of the family carries out the duties of daily life while in poverty. Many tried to find work, but due to past histories ended up in the unemployment line with no money. These same people would also have to find alternate means of funding for unexpected bills, groceries and bus tokens while simultaneously trying to provide for their children.
Circumstances of the simulation would intervene and some participants would have their houses robbed or lose vital paperwork that was needed to prove something to a government official. Others found themselves stealing from other families in the simulation. All this stress just to make it through the day. And this is before any of the groups arrive at the part about getting out of poverty. The short time frames and mountains of work force the participants to make many of the stressful decisions that thousands of Americans have to make daily. The choice whether to feed one’s children or to pay rent is a very real decision and one many people had to make in the simulation.
This poverty simulation program was first used in 2006. It has continued to open eyes all across the country in places like ATSU in Arizona, Davenport University in West Michigan, Ozark Technical Community College in the Midwest, the court systems of New York and even the city employees of Chicago, and many more churches and communities across the nation.
The results have been what a lot of the community leaders were looking for. As an Ozark Technical Community College administrator realized, “There’s a point where it registers that it’s an everyday struggle for many people in this community.” The experience has prompted Ms. Casper, a participant in the Chicago simulation to say, “I felt really below the earth because everybody was so cold. This world has to change in some way.” Still another participant said, I was “waiting for it to be over, but in real life it doesn’t end.”
There are many who feel the program to be a success, but it has also fallen under fire by many of the organizers of volunteer programs and those that have risen up from the depths of poverty. Cheryl Jackson of the Minnie Food Pantry in Plano, TX says “allowing people to steal as part of a poverty simulation isn’t effective.” A former poverty dweller from Creating Bridges in Chicago echoed this sentiment after completing the simulation. “You don’t go to stealing in the first week or the first month. It takes longer than that. You try everything else first.”
— Frederick Wood II
Sources: MACA, Cause & Effect, News Leader, iConnect, Access of West Michigan, NY Courts, CoActive Connections, Chicago Reader, culturemap
Photo: Flickr
Health Issues Grow for Afghan Refugees
The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 resulted in millions of Afghans seeking refuge in neighboring countries, specifically Pakistan and Iran. Today, Afghans account for the greatest number of displaced persons in the world. With over 1.6 million registered Afghans located in the country, Pakistan is struggling to accommodate the unmet health needs of local women.
The World Health Organization describes war as “the most serious threat of all to health.” Unfortunately, this seems to be true in many refugee camps located in Pakistan, where reproductive health needs remain untreated. During the first wave of refugees, communicable diseases, such as malaria, were among the greatest concerns for the population. Nowadays, the focus has shifted to address the growing demands of Afghan women in regards to maternal health.
After conducting a needs assessment, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) concluded that there has been a lack in reproductive health services in refugee camps. The primary area of concern continues to be the surplus of high-risk pregnancies. Malnutrition, poverty and under-use of prenatal services all contribute to the endangerment of a mother and her baby.
However, these are not the only factors that cause Afghan refugees to remain a vulnerable population.
Due to many cultural constraints, women can only receive clinical care and health education from other women. This proves troublesome in many camps where female physicians are limited. The IRC also found that although 80 percent of pregnant women attend between one and three prenatal appointments, only half of them were accompanied by a trained health professional during labor.
Inadequate access to transportation tends to hinder women’s ability to seek health services in the case of an emergency, thus forcing many Afghan refugees to give birth at home without any medical supervision. In the few cases where an Afghan woman may be able to reach a local hospital, a male relative must accompany her–but that cannot always be guaranteed.
Fortunately, there have been recent solutions to this ongoing health crisis.
Government-run health care facilities, or Basic Health Units (BHUs), are growing in popularity in the outskirts of the country. Although some BHUs have already been established, they have rarely been seen in remote towns such as Chamkani, located in Peshawar. However, in 2012, the Chamkani project started operations, establishing seven BHUs in various parts of Peshawar.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) created the Refugee Affected and Hosting Area program to strengthen these government-run health centers, improve infrastructure and rehabilitate the environment of over 40 rural cities by various projects.
According to UNHCR, the Chamkani project has built a multitude of labor rooms, recovery rooms and waiting areas in the seven new BHUs. They have also provided more medical equipment and training to traditional midwives.
Local interviews suggest that Afghan refugees in Chamkani feel more comfortable because a health clinic is nearby, meaning they will not have to wait for a male to escort them. The Chamkani project also considers the financial situation of many refugees. The women only have to pay five rupees for an ultrasound examination, a procedure that would be exponentially more expensive at a hospital.
While Afghan refugee women still continue to endure hardships during pregnancies, the BHUs have greatly improved their lives and provided them better medical treatment in a timely manner. As Winston Churchill said, “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.”
— Leeda Jewayni
Sources: UNHCR, Rescue.org, RHRC
Photo: Pakistan Today