Initially launched to carry out vaccinations of minors in Eritrea, the project later came to focus on other aspects of preventative medicine.
When war broke out in 1998, our physicians were working exclusively on emergency projects.
In February of 2001 our doctors left for Eritrea in collaboration with Eres. The team was composed if six volunteer dentists who returned after 4 months to change places with a group of volunteer internists, gynecologists and specialized surgeons.
Subsequently, we purchased a truck equipped with a full service operating room and clinic for emergency visits. The truck shuttled specialized personnel between those areas of Eritrea that are completely lacking in any kind of medical assistance.
Currently a micro-healthcare project is underway to bring a dental clinic to the Eritrean region of Gash Barka.
We also created a traveling vaccination unit. The unit was composed of doctors and specialized personnel equipped with medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. Staff and equipment traveled to remote areas and over inhospitable terrain of Eritrea that would have otherwise inaccessible but for our specially-equipped vehicle. While the main objective of the unit was to carry out vaccinations within the population, it was also equipped to offer other kinds of medical service. The initiative was of a purely humanitarian nature and was not limited to any specific geographical area. Project methodology, based on which the plan of action was prepared, was agreed upon with the local governing authorities. Local authorities provided, at the request of our association, local personnel to accompany the doctors during the campaign. Parallel to the administration of vaccines, the unit monitored the demographic and social-health conditions of the population. Additionally, the team sought to solidify relationships with local governmental structures to share the results of monitoring activities and, in general, foster the exchange of information.
Another aspect of this project is “on-the-job” training for the local healthcare personnel as well as cultural/professional study visits in Italy.
The unit organized, according to the available resources, to the logistics of maintaining the “cold chain,” necessary in every vaccination campaign, by providing gas or electric refrigerators, cold boxes, as well as training personnel on the correct cold chain management.
The minimum time need for the completion of such a project is 4 months. Upon project completion all equipment is donated to the government of the country to be used by the previously-trained personnel.
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