New Mobile Clinic in Jigjiga

 

 

Over 6.2 million people in Somali, Ethiopia, receive service from one regional referral hospital (Jigjiga University Sheik Hassan Yabare Referral Hospital), making it almost impossible to get effective treatment for the patients in that area. The geographical distance makes traveling difficult for parents and children to come all the way to Addis Ababa to receive treatment at CURE.

The capital of the Ethiopian Somali National Regional State, Jigjiga, is found in the eastern part of the country and is 630 km away from Addis Ababa, with a predominant population of a pastoral Muslim community. CURE Children’s Hospital of Ethiopia traveled to Jigjiga in February 2023 to make its services available in order to find a way to provide healthcare in this area.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Jigjiga becomes our fifth mobile clinic location, next to Bahir Dar, Gondar, Hawassa, and Jimma, which we hope will change the lives of many children. Mobile clinics are an essential strategy for CURE to provide prevention and healthcare services in hard to reach or marginalized communities, serving children with treatable disabilities who would otherwise be unable to access quality medical care.

A total of 55 children with disabilities were assessed by the mobile clinic team, and 14 of them have surgery scheduled.

 

Medical Care for Children in Need

Musab, age eight, and his sister Rahma, age two, who were born with clubfoot, are two of the 14 patients we met in Jigjiga scheduled for surgery. Clubfoot is a condition, usually present at birth, in which the person’s foot/feet are turned inwards and downwards. Often, clubfoot occurs by itself. But sometimes, the condition may be passed down through families. In Musab and Rahma’s case, their clubfoot was passed down from their mom Hadar, who suffers from bilateral clubfoot. If left untreated, the condition can worsen–leading to pain, limiting mobility, and causing shame and ridicule.

Hadar, Musab and Rahma’s mom, says, “Many people in my community consider me and my children abnormal. They don’t believe we can have independent and full lives just because we have a disability.”

As a result of the mobile clinic, Musab and Rahma will soon be admitted to CURE for surgery to straighten their feet, enabling them to walk, run, and look forward to an independent future.

 

 

A Strategic Partnership

This new mobile clinic is the result of a new Memorandum of Understanding CURE Children’s hospital of Ethiopia signed last year with Jigjiga University Sheik Hassan Yabare Referral Hospital. Together, we will partner and collaborate to improve, facilitate, and deliver efficient outreach clinic services in a regional government hospital and reach out to children with correctable physical disabilities who would find travel to Addis Ababa very difficult.

This mobile clinic was a unique experience for CURE Ethiopia, as it was our first time providing services in the eastern part of the country. We received a warm welcome from the hospital’s leadership team and other healthcare professionals, and their reception exceeded our expectations. The hospital’s team went above and beyond to ensure the event was well-organized and successful.

 

 

At CURE, we value compassion, diligence, and a strong work ethic, and our team demonstrated these qualities throughout the event. The clinic was a promising start in Jigjiga, and we are confident that our partnership will continue to grow and enable us to meet the basic clinical and spiritual needs of children with treatable disabilities.

The mobile clinic provided hope and encouragement to parents and children who have been living with the stigma of a disability, and we are honored to have been able to make a positive impact in their lives.

One parent said, “I know the doctors are not Muslim, but they will surely go to heaven because of all the good they do.” Another said, “If Allah were not with these people [the CURE Ethiopia team], they would not be able to do all this good,” acknowledging that God was indeed with us.

 

Click here to learn more about mobile clinics and find a location near you.