My experiences: One month in Africa...

Trip Description:
Annually, students and faculty from Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions travel to Ethiopia on an intercultural service learning immersion program. Students from the Doctor of Physical Therapy program do
a clinical rotation in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Following their clinical experience, they meet up with Nursing and Health Services Administration students. Once united, students have some focused time in Addis Ababa, where they tour healthcare facilities and meet with practitioners, scholars, and NGOs. These opportunities provide insight into the health care system, local health issues of great concern, and what is being done to address them. Students then travel to the rural area of Yetebon, Ethiopia. In Yetebon, the entire group engages in health related and general community service projects with a nonprofit partner, Project Mercy.

Map of Ethiopia

Map of Ethiopia
We will be in Addis Ababa and Yetebon (not shown on map)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

What does healthcare look like in Ethiopia?

From what we've studied, the healthcare insufficiencies are vast and overwhelming in this country. Outside of the capital city, healthcare facilities are few and far in between, and more than 85% of the country's population reside in rural areas. Factors including widespread poverty and lack of access to education, sanitation, clean drinking water and healthcare facilities contribute to the high disease rates. Ethiopia's healthcare system is among the least developed in Sub-Saharan Africa and the government has chosen to focus on strengthening primary care. Healthcare delivery is strongly impacted by the lack of skilled manpower combined with insufficient funding/number of facilities.

A few statistics: (http://cnhde.ei.columbia.edu/healthsystem/)

In many areas, 80% of Ethiopia's healthcare problems are due to preventable communicable/nutritional diseases.
The life expectancy is 54 years (and will decrease to age 46 if the present HIV rates are maintained).
There is 1 physician per 35,493 people (In the U.S. it's 1 per 392).
Maternal mortality rate is 871/100,000 (In the U.S. it's 11 per 100,000).
Malaria is the primary problem with 8-10 million cases reported annually.

Evidently there are numerous challenges and as healthcare providers we will be facing a number of diseases and conditions that have long been eradicated from the U.S.

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