Visit to Caritas Health Posts, 28th November 2006

One of the villages served by 1 of 8 Caritas Health posts.

Before we make our return journey to Luanda, Caritas have invited us to visit two of the health posts they developed and currently manage in Kwanza Sul. After a long and devastating war, health services in Angola suffer much. Less than 30% of Angolans have access to adequate healthcare. There are 8 such posts, which are staffed by a trained health promoter and pharmacist, and some with a nurse. Prior to the Caritas posts, many of the communities in the area relied upon the government clinics, which often have ill-trained and unmotivated staff, have too large a target community, and are sometimes closed for lengthy periods. Caritas Sumbe, recognising the need for an effective health service, developed a plan to construct these health posts. The major causes of mortality in the province are malaria, acute respiratory infection, and diarrhoeal diseases, whilst one in four Angolan children won’t live beyond their fifth birthday, giving Angola one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. The health posts provide various services, such as; maternal and child healthcare, pre-natal care, immunisation, and diagnosis and management of diseases. They trained staff to man these posts, and now provide an important source of health provision and education to over 100,000 people in their targeted areas. Additionally, Caritas has a strong volunteer culture, with dedicated members of the communities trained as health educators (educadores) who provide house-to-house visits.

The vast majority of people in sumbe live in houses such as these without electricity and water

The first post we are to visit is in an area called Cayepa, which is just 22km outside of Sumbe. The clinic is located in a little village (aldeia) of about 12 houses. As we drive through the village toward the white one-storey building, we attract the attention of some children, who quickly assemble on the steps of the clinic. We are met by Sr. João Kassanje, the clinic’s health promoter, and Sr. Fiudmau Andre, clinic pharmacist, who greet us warmly. Sr. Kassanje takes me on a tour of the clinic, beginning in the reception area, which has a table and chair for registration, a bag attached to some scales for weighing infants, and a small bench providing a seating area for patients. After a patient registers here, they are taken to the consultorio, a little room off to the right, where Sr. Kassanje will examine patients and decide upon a course of action. The pharmacy is located on the other side of the reception area and contains two cases of shelving and a large cabinet. Caritas inform me that a key problem for the health posts at present is the lack of proper refrigeration facilities required for the vaccines. These are quite costly, but essential for the clinics. Another problem faced by the health posts is the Government’s new policy whereby, the Caritas trained health promoters must receive government training and a certificate before the government will consider paying their salary, which is a key objective of the Caritas health programme to ensure sustainability. However, often the quality of the government training is far less than that of Caritas, and the Government has at times redistributed Caritas staff to other health clinics after completion of the training. It is a difficult situation for them, but one which they continue to advocate on at provincial and national levels.

Caritas Health Post in Cayepa- Sra. Amerciana, one of Caritas' many volunteer health educators.

Outside the clinic, we meet with two of the clinic’s educadores, Sra. Amerciana and Sra. Isabel, who are responsible for health education within the community, and regularly receive training from Caritas on key health messages, which they then distribute to the community. They are currently working on the Global Gift programme, offering advice on proper utilisation of the mosquito nets and providing information on malaria transmission and prevention. Both women are extremely dedicated to Caritas Sumbe. Before leaving, I take some photographs of the clinic, Sr. Kassanje and Sr. Andre, two educadores, and the children (much to their delight!). They’re excitement and laughter when I show them their photograph on the digital screen, is really heartening, each taking their turn to point to themselves.

After saying our goodbyes in Cayepa, we begin our journey to Sector II. The layout is similar, with the clinic located in a small aldeia. Sector II is more rural than Cayepa, as we travel a distance off the main road to reach it. This time, the clinic is manned by one person, Sr. Jucuio, who acts as health promoter and pharmacist. I receive a similar tour and he talks a little about the same two problems. Our time is short here as we must make the 500km return journey to Luanda. However, I leave feeling I’ve gained a better insight into the work of one of Trocaire’s partners at a community level.

After having spent the last 9 months working for Trocaire in Maynooth, it is so refreshing to see the programmes, meet the partners, and see the impact that both have for many people.