Greener pastures and HIV/AIDS in Africa
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It pains me to see how Africa and other developing countries are losing their health workers to Europe and other developed countries and especially in this era of HIV/AIDS, and this at a time when we need them the most.
This I feel is a sorry state of affairs at a time when so many people are getting infected and dying from AIDS in developing countries like Africa. The fact that we are now facing another crisis of a shortage of health care workers leaves a very grim picture of this state of affairs.
I do feel that health care workers need to be more patriotic and look out for the needs of their countries. If they all flee their countries, which have used a lot of resources to have them trained, are they really observing the fundamentals of the Hippocratic Oath? It is within their mandate for them to come together and see what they can do as health professionals to tackle AIDS in their various countries. The solution to this pandemic should not be left for others but ourselves to tackle otherwise what is the use of the skills and knowledge acquired at the training institutions if you are not able to work towards solving the problems of your own country, how is the country to benefit from what it has invested in you? Some use the ever common excuse of lack of resources to serve the needs of those who are infected, but cant they try to put to best use of the little that they have to get around this problem? Because if they dont, who will?
At the same time I do believe that at this critical juncture and in the face of the heath care crisis in Africa, traditional healers are to be encouraged to take up a more if not a vigorous active role in addressing HIV/AIDS. This will make it cheaper for PLWHA to have easy access to safer, cheaper and easily accessible treatment. ARVs are expensive and not easily accessed by most of those who need it. In situations where the level of poverty is high, as is the case in most of the African countries, the high nutritious foods needed to make the drugs take effect may not be easy to come by and in this case ARVs may instead make things worse.
In the face of the challenges stated above, governments will have to take more responsibility and see how the skills and knowledge of traditional healers can be put to good and effective use. It is time to take more initiative in this matter instead of waiting or relying on external support alone.
WE THEREFORE NEED TO BE MORE PRO-ACTIVE AND WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT AIDS IS EVERYBODY' RESPONSIBILITY, YOU, ME, EVERYONE!!
Sarah Kinyangi
AIDS and Rural Development
mailto:hopesara5@yahoo.com
Greener pastures and HIV/AIDS in Africa (2)
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I wouldn't know when we are to take the bull by the horn! Have we addressed leaders in Africa who give a take home pay insufficient to manage your needs much more your family, immediate or extended?
Erinle Adeleye Ebenezer (MPSN, MBPS)
(Princess Marina Hopsital)
P.O.Box 2451, Main Mall
Gaborone. Botswana.
Cell: +26772968096 or +26771835732
Home: +2673180143
mailto:eadeleye@yahoo.co.uk
Greener pastures and HIV/AIDS in Africa (4)
Dear Sarah,
The problem of human resources for health is truly of big concern every where you go in Africa. Just a few days ago I participated in the Joint AIDS Review for my country Uganda and a lot was said in this regard. As part and parcel of this review meeting, the country is developing a Country Strategic Plan as opposed to the National Strategic Framework that has been guiding our efforts for the last couple of years. In principle all stakeholders agreed that systemic issues interalia inadequate resources and with a lot of emphasis to human resources was brought to the fore and addressed. I hope this will be translated into reality. Of great concern is also the fact that we are not only having attrition for better/well paying international jobs, but also faced with intra country specific attrition of health workers to well paying bi-lateral, multi lateral NGOs. This alone is a source of concern that is affecting service delivery especially in PNFP health facilities if I may be more specific. Nonetheless I still attest that this problem surrounds remuneration of the health workers.
Regarding the involvement of what you are referring to as traditional healers (called complimentary/traditional medicine providers in Uganda), I would comment that this is a useful idea but issues of quality assurance so as to guard against the provision of harmful/destructive medicines and exploitation by these category of service providers is what governments through their respective technical arms should pursue critically.
I otherwise thank you for your passionate submission.
William Kidega
Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
Uganda Episcopal Conference HIV/AIDS Office
mailto:wkidega@aidsfocalpoint.org
Greener pastures and HIV/AIDS in Africa (4)
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We are losing health workers to Europe and other developed countries and especially in this era of HIV/AIDS, because Our Governments in Africa are not paying health workers good salaries that could attract them to stay in African continent. Our Governments in Africa are always investing a lot of money in politics rather than any other social services like health and education. Many people in Africa are perishing because of ignorance. While Ministers and other top leaders in the country are enjoying life as the first class. And when their sick they normally travel to Europe and Asia for heath check ups and treatment. In many case leaders in Africa dies in European hospital, i.e. Mwl J.K. Nyerere etc. why? Do not blame health workers to migrate to Europe because in this era of open market, people are selling skills, how can you stay in the country that do not want to value your skills by paying you good money? Also the working environment in most of our hospitals are not good to attract health workers. I can conclude by saying, Politicians should be blamed to why they dont want to allocate enough money in health and education sector.
And this at a time when we need them the most.
Ally Hussein
mailto:ruhettah@yahoo.com
Greener pastures and HIV/AIDS in Africa (5)
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I believe whenever a doctor trained in a developing country registers for employment in a country that has not trained him that country should pay the cost of his training into the health service salaries account of the losing country. It might educate the rich countries to train their own doctors and encourage poorer countries to pay their doctors a little more.
David Masters
(Trained in UK and worked 20 years in Rural Africa )
mailto:mastersdk@tiscali.co.uk