In a recent interview with the NPR Goats & Soda blog, Dr. Boie Jalloh discusses his work battling Ebola in his home country of Sierra Leone. Dr. Jalloh, who began his work in the Ebola unit at the height of the crisis (and just ten days into his residency), spoke of the challenges he faced during the crisis. He also shares what he believes is the most important step in addressing health care needs in his country and avoiding future health crises:
To me, first and foremost, I wish the government and our international partners would invest in medical education. We really need more doctors and nurses here — we needed them before Ebola. You can supply all the drugs you want, but people won’t be able to get those drugs if there is only 1 health care provider for 10,000 people [note: According to the World Bank, the number is 1.8 — compared to 100 in the U.S.]
We also need investment in post-graduate education for nurses and doctors. Right now, doctors need to leave the country to get any specialist training…”
Dr. Boie Jalloh discusses his work battling Ebola in his home country of Sierra Leone and highlights a reality that lies at the heart of HVO’s mission — health systems need health workers; patients need health workers; and health workers need education and professional opportunity.
HVO does not have projects in Sierra Leone, but like Dr. Jalloh, many of the health workers and students at HVO project sites are impressive individuals devoted to learning and improving their skills to meet the health needs of their communities. They are working in strained health systems – the infrastructure at some of the hospitals where we work has deficiencies and essential medicines and medical materials can be in short supply. Yet, just as Dr. Jalloh highlights in his observations of Sierra Leone, one of the greatest needs health workers in resource-scarce countries face remains professional opportunity through education, training and collaboration.
HVO volunteers strive to serve these individuals – and encourage more to join the ranks of health workers – by providing the education, training and professional collaboration required. We strive to improve working conditions for health workers by improving professional support and opportunity. We design programs and projects in partnership with overseas health systems and providers to ensure they meet the unique needs of the countries where we work. We strengthen health systems by empowering health workers. Stronger health systems lead to more patients served and more health crises avoided.
The world is full of health heroes like Dr. Jalloh – dedicated individuals who want to provide the best care they can but require professional opportunity to do so. Patients around the world need these dedicated individuals. We hope you will join us in supporting health workers by supporting HVO’s education, training and professional development programs and projects.