The work in the clinic Keru Yakaar is in full swing. It is rainy season which means a busy time with many patients. Many cases of diarrhea, respiratory infections and malaria are presented. Also skin infections are common in this humid climate with moderate hygiene. We still keep our preventive measures for the Ebola outbreak. It wouldn’t be hard to drown in the immensity of the work. In the meantime I’m working on the long term policies to make a next step in patient care. Focus is important.
Keru Yakaar is a Health Post in a densely populated neighborhood of Dakar. In our region, northern Dakar we are the largest Health Post (i.e. a clinic without admissions and deliveries). There are two Health Centers in the region to whom we can refer. Patients come from all over the city and from far beyond. The clinic has become widely known and has a very good reputation. In the 20 years the clinic exists, a lot has changed. Where we used to be the only Health Post, the district has developed and health posts have been added. We do not want to compete with these centers, instead we focus on the vulnerable groups such as malnourished children, pregnant women and the chronically ill. Prevention, education and long-term contacts: these are our strategies to have an impact on the neighborhood and the community.
Opportunities abound! With our program for the treatment of malnutrition and nutrition education we are the only one in the region. Although we just started, there is a serious possibility that we will be the reference center of the region. Chronic diseases such as hypertension, asthma and diabetes are increasing and there is little care for these patients. Also screening for cervical cancer is not yet available for the less fortunate. The unfulfilled desire to have children is a big social problem that hardly gets any attention. On top of all the healt issues we hope to address we also got the opportunity to reach a larger part of the population with our health education. A local radio station has asked us to host a weekly program on health!
The risk for the daily routine – with its everyday problems – to consume all our attention is huge. To seize the opportunities that exist to serve the less fortunate in society our mission needs to be in our mind continuously; only with a clear focus, we can move forward!
