World Vision donated meds saving lives

A local health facility in Burundi is usually overwhelmed by the tons and tons of patients it receives, most who are poor. The facility is not run by the government - it highly depends on generous donations and World Vision is one of the major donors and partners. The nurses say without pharmaceutical donations and support from World Vision, the facility would probably be shut down by now because they do not have the capacity to sustain its running.

St. Theresa health facility is teeming with mothers as early as seven in the morning. The doors of the facility don’t open until 8am but the mothers prefer to be there earlier. 

“The facility gets really packed and the earlier you come the better,” says 30-year-old Clotilde Ntuyahaga. Clotilde has brought her two-week-old baby for vaccination.

The health facility is run by a local catholic church and unlike the government run hospitals, the facility highly depends on donations. 

According to Sr. Revokata Kadumaramana, were it not for the generous donations that come from well wishers and other charity organisations, the facility would be probably closed by now. 

World Vision is one of the major donors and through the GIK (Gift in Kind), every once or twice a year, the health facility receives an assortment of medicine and medical equipment. Just recently, the health facility received a major boost when World Vision donated two microscopes. 

Beating malaria

At the pediatric ward in the health facility compound sits 35-year-old Colette Mbonihankuye. Her daughter, seven-year-old Aline Mugishawimana is the patient and has been admitted with malaria, a life threatening disease that kills one child in Africa every 30 seconds. 

Colette watches over her 7 year old daughter Aline, who is recovering from malaria at the health facility. Photo by Lucy Murunga

When Colette entered the health facility the previous day, she was in panic because little Aline was critically ill. 

“She had a bad fever and was shivering, she was vomiting and complaining of stomach pains as well,” explains Sr. Hilda Bwogi, the nurse-on-duty. 

Colette says her daughter was too weak to walk or talk. “When the nurse said my child has malaria, I got very worried. I have heard that malaria kills, I do not know, but the way I saw my child, I feared she would not make it,” Colette explains. 

Luckily for Aline, she was given amodiaquine - a highly effective anti-malaria treatment drug. “We have put her on the treatment for three days, after which she will be ready to go back home,” explains Sr. Hilda. 

To ease her cough, Aline was given hemocelo syrup. For another two nights, Aline will stay at the pediatric unit while the nurses monitor her condition and recovery. The pediatric room is warm, and Aline will be sleeping under a treated mosquito net. World Vision supported the construction and equipping of the pediatric ward in 2008. 

Colette is very much relieved that her daughter is getting better. “I cannot imagine what would have happened to Aline, if the nurse did not give her good treatment and on time.” 

Aline too is excited about her treatment. “I feel better now, I am regaining energy, yesterday I felt very weak,” she says. “The medicine is bitter but good.”

Colette did not have money to pay for her daughter’s treatment, but her daughter got the treatment she needed and on time. 

“This is not a government hospital, yet many patients flock here because we have the medicine, they are poor, can you turn them away because they do not have money for treatment?” Sr. Revokata poses. 

“We are forced to give medicine and treatment for free and this is attracting many patients – the majority who are poor. 

The facility receives and treats an average of 50 to 70 patients daily, sometimes even more, driving the demand for medicine and facilities even higher.” 

Some of the common illnesses treated are malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and intestinal worms - usually in children between one month to five years old. 

“The area is very cold and the children are not dressed warm, the parents are too poor to afford warm clothes and blankets,” explains Sr. Revokata.

Most of these illnesses are preventable and even curable, but without proper diagnosis and treatment, they can kill. In 2010 alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria caused an estimated 655,000 deaths, mostly among African children.

Thanks to the malaria drugs that were readily available in the health facility and the speed at which they were administered, Aline is now on her way to recovery.

The health facility is doing all they can to fight these preventable illnesses. “We encourage mothers to give birth at the health facility where they can get information on how to protect their children and themselves from the deadly malaria and those who deliver at the facility get a free treated net,” Sr. Revokata explains. 

“We have also embarked on a massive health education exercise to educate the community on the importance of hygiene so as to reduce on the cases of intestinal worms, which is also common in the area.”

“We are very lucky that every year we get donations of medicine from World Vision and other donors, this helps to boost our stocks and we have the right treatment to treat most of these illnesses,” she further says.

“It is these gifts and donations that enable us to take mobile clinics to the communities. Not everyone gets to the facility, most are discouraged by the distance, it is critical therefore that we reach even those furthest areas.”

World Vision also supports the nurses and the health workers at the health facility with trainings on health and nutrition. 

In addition, World Vision sponsored children get free medical assistance at the health facility.