Betterment of Healthcare service: Eritrea’s Success Story

Patients in Orotta national referral hospital

Betterment of Healthcare service: Eritrea’s Success Story

By Kesete Ghebrihiwet,

At first providing people with the most basic medical services, and steadily to improved services that go parallel to up-to-date medical breakthroughs is a success story that continued to be achieved each day in Eritrea. Construction of referral hospitals in the six regions of the country and equipping them with necessary equipment has been among the major efforts exerted to boost healthcare service. As part of the ongoing efforts, Orotta national referral hospital has been equipped with new oxygen producing plant. The number of trainees who has been joining Orotta Medical and Dental schools have reassured that the journey towards enabling all nationals have healthy life style. In continuation of endeavors to upgrade work methodology and expand healthcare services throughout the country, different hospitals have been fully equipped with must have medical supplies.

The country’s referral hospitals were previously buying 20 to 25 barrels of oxygen per day from a company that produces oxygen. With the setting up of the new oxygen producing plant, however, a conducive ground has been created for them to become self-reliant. Not only the National Referral Hospital used to spend over 2 million Nakfa a year for buying oxygen, but there were also transportation and delays issue.

The new plant was recently step up with the joint collaboration of the Health Ministry and ArcheMed of Germany at an expenditure of 150,000 Euro. Oxygen Produced from this new plant would be transferred to 500 beds per day through pipelines. The installation of such like plants and the introduction of other medical equipment would by far improve the medial services that have been rendered in the National Referral Hospital.

There has been close ties among Eritrea’s Ministry of Health and other medical schools from overseas. The fruits of such healthy partnership and cooperation have indeed brought to a further advanced healthcare service in Eritrea. Most of all is the transfer of knowledge through sharing of experiences.

If any major healthcare issue was treated in Oroota, National Referral Hospital, different regional hospitals have been equipped advanced medical instruments which in turn constitutes a major step forward towards improved healthcare service in the other hospitals too.

Equipping hospitals with advanced pediatrics equipment such as in Keren hospital, the launching of surgical service in Agordet hospital, and the regular fistula surgical service in Mendefera hospital, the renewal and newly equipping of Brhan Ophthalmic  Hospital and other instances are vivid indications of the constantly improvised medical services that has been provided everywhere in the country.

Having a look at the opinions of the beneficiaries of the surgical service that has been launched in Akordet could give a clear picture as regards its importance in alleviating the existed healthcare problems. In this connection, Ms. Amna Hamd, a mother from Dige sub-zone who recently gave birth to a 5.2-Kg baby, explained that delivery cases seeking surgical intervention could be resolved easily following the launching of the service.

Similarly, from Dige sub-zone, Ms. Amna Suleiman expressed satisfaction with the service, the impact of which has inspired mothers’ confidence as regards delivery.

Nurturing medical professionals to the point of meeting one doctor to certain population ratio that corresponds international standards has also been among the utmost priorities of the country. That is why Eritrea continues to train healthcare specialists each year and continues to announce its fruit on each graduation event.

Thanks to the efforts that have been exerted so far, six referral hospitals in each of the country’s six regions are now equipped with necessary medical equipment and are employing advanced medical procedures in treating complex healthcare issues. Owing to continued endeavors, healthcare problems that were beyond the country’s capability have now started to be treated with locally trained doctors and in collaboration with medical experts from the overseas. There is nothing gratifying than having medical service in one’s homeland with minimal expenses and at the cradle of one’s family members and fellow nationals.

New oxygen producing plant in Orotta national referral hospital

Sponsored Ads