THE HEALTH POST

Health is a right

My most ambitious wish is to open a small medical facility to make for the absence of public health services, which are in fact inaccessible. A sufficiently qualified clinic, equipped with a local staff, would help a lot the whole community.

Every time I go see my children, the families in the village overwhelm me with requests for medical care, especially for their kids. This entails a long journey to the nearest hospital, with whatever available vehicle (in my case it's an old scooter!), wasting much time and money for treatment: no one can afford it.

Simpler and faster access to basic care would be an enormous step ahead: a clinic run by a nurse could at least provide a first aid for wounds and infections, and allow us to deal basic drugs, such as quinine for malaria.

One of the stories that are closest to my heart is that of Alin, a little epileptic girl who suffered a lot because of her illness: she did not speak, did not go to school, she was ostracized because of her crisis. I took her to the hospital, she was diagnosed her illness and prescribed a treatment: now she takes one pill a day, she's doing better, she began to express herself and she's able to go to school. She's finally having a life.