Blog 3: Difficulty Restoring Healthcare in the CAR

The Central African Republic (CAR), formerly known as the French Congo during the colonization of the African continent, is struggling after its most recent violent outbreak between the rebel forces and the CAR government.  More than 80,000 people were displaced by the recent month long conflict and even though it has only been a matter of days since a peace agreement has been met, the reopening of the most modest of healthcare facilities is proving extremely difficult.  “A scarcity of health workers and a lack of medical supplies are among the problems”, not to mention that during the short conflict these facilities were pretty much abandoned in fear for the safety of the personnel that worked there.  In some of the areas that have been able to restore some sort of healthcare, a nominal fee is needed to assist in partially paying for the used supplies/medicine, all of this due to the lack of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) support.  This fee is more detrimental to the current individual’s livelihood due to the lack of commercialism in the area.  The rebel controlled portions of the country have many people that do not normally live there, concerned for their well being, therefore causing even the smallest amounts of money vital.

Socially, everybody should be entitled to some form of healthcare.  Weather it is free government healthcare like Canada, for profit private healthcare like the United States, or healthcare aid like the majority of war-torn Africa receives.  Nobody should have to suffer through life without health guidance from a professional.  Private healthcare dominates the globe, but typically developed countries have this availability.  Healthcare aid is a huge support for developing countries and without this type of aid many more people would become seriously ill or dead without the medical necessities that are provided.  Countries, like the Central African Republic, that are in a constant strife between two or more fighting factions prevent the necessary health aid that is deserved by the country’s population.  I know that it is naïve to hope for world peace, but at least the innocent people that are a part of the country should be entitled to their human rights.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97452/Healthcare-still-disrupted-in-the-Central-African-Republic

Matt Partridge

02/14/2013 at 1155 pm