Adareeb, 10 kilometers off-road from Kulbus, West Darfur … here the 10th of October was inaugurated the 12th health center in West Darfur, within the program of maternal and child health that COSV is realizing in West Darfur.
The PHCU (Primary health care unit) of Adareeb consists of a hall for a medical examinations and a room for visits to pregnant women; the Community Health Worker and a Midwife ensure the basic health care and pre-and post-natal care to the population of the village, referring the cases that need more appropriate care to the health center of Kulbus.
In addition, a peer educator will be responsible for outreach activities to promote the approach of pregnant women to the centers to seek advice or assistance, and the vaccination campaign for children under 5 years of age.
Many people of the community participated to the inauguration: the wise men of the village, in their white jallabihe followed by the women in their multicolored veils, have approached the center for its first official opening ; it will soon be equipped with the necessary materials and medicines to carry out medical examinations and awareness campaigns.
The center is located next to the village school , where the community and the authorities have joined together with COSV staff to emphasize the importance of the opening of this center , which finally allows the population to receive first aid without having to walk up to Kulbus . Dr. Abdallah , doctor in the hospital of Kulbus , asked to the community to collaborate as much as possible , to take care of their center , so that it becomes a point of reference for the population.
The Commissioner , Mohamed Abdallah , the authority which represents the entire province of Kulbus , pointed out that the proximity of the center to the school wants to send a clear message , that health care should go in parallel with school and education system to support the growth of boys and girls of the village; he also emphasized that 40 other villages in the town of Kulbus are still without any health service and that water constitutes another priority.
The health coordinator for COSV in West Darfur, Yousif Abdelbagi , reiterated that these results have been possible thanks to the collaboration between different actors , first and foremost the community, which becomes the true guardian of the health center .
Adareeb health center is another important small step in the path that COSV, together with the Ministry of Health and the local NGO NAHDA, are making to improve maternal and child health in support of the most vulnerable population: pregnant women and children under 5 years.
The program, begun in 2005, has always involved the Ministry of Health, which in recent years has provided much of the staff of the centers, and that from now on will be supported by the COSV directly to take charge of health centers in the perspective of a sustainable management of the services offered to the population.
written by Claudia Cui, COSV Co-director, responsible for international projects.