(ERGO) – More than 900 displaced families are receiving a free mobile health service visiting Tosha and Sheeyo villages in Badhadhe, Lower Juba. These families normally have to walk about 20 kilometres to the nearest hospitals in Kudhaa district to access health care.
Nasra Mohamed Ali, a mother of six in Sheeyo, said her son and daughter were treated for worms and skin disease. The two-year-old son also received medicine and food supplements for malnutrition.
“When we got there we were given biscuits [high nutrition] and we were received well. Now he is better thank God, he is better than before. His health is now improving, I give him the biscuits in the morning and afternoon. We give them the pills in pieces. He was underweight but now he is recovering,” she said.
Nasra said her son had been sick for two months, but she had no money for treatment. As the livestock stopped producing milk when they were hit by the drought, there was no nutritious food available for the small children.
“The hospitals are far, about a day’s walk. It’s also hard to carry a sick child all the way there,” she explained.
Nasra’s family lost 50 goats and 60 cows during the drought and have just 10 feeble sick goats left. She recently sold off two of them for three million shillings ($116) and bought 25 kgs of flour, rice and sugar.
This health care programme run by Somali Aid is set to continue until June 2023 providing services to 5,400 families living in remote areas of Lower Juba.
Amina Hassan Osman, who is five months’ pregnant, took her young son in Toosha village to be treated for acute watery diarrhoea. She herself was diagnosed with anemia. She had no money or means to go to a hospital in Kudhaa area 15 kilometres away.
“I had an increased pulse, and when I walked a little I got tired. When I got there they took down my name and phone number. They took tests including one on my arm. They gave me pills and thank God now I have recovered,” she said.
“My child was sick and had diarrhoea, he was very weak. They gave him medicine and biscuits [nutritious sachets]. Thank God he is also doing well.”
Amina and her family of six have 15 goats left after losing 20 cows and 70 goats to the drought. Food has become short as a result of the loss of livestock.
Somali Aid officer Adan Salah Ahmed said they aimed to reach out to the pastoralist communities who have been severely hit by drought. The mobile service goes to remote areas furthest from the towns.
“In a week we offer the services four times. Two days we work in Toosha, while the other two we visit Sheeyo. The main things that we have noted is the level of malnutrition and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and flu,” he said.
