Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) is in the heart of Africa and it is the second poorest country in the world after Niger. It is ranked 188th out the 189 countries in the Human Development Index and 60% of its approximately 6 million inhabitants live on less than a dollar and a quarter a day. The Central African Republic is also one of the countries with the highest infant and maternal mortality rate and its population has in general a very low life expectancy (54 years).
Many of the problems of the Central African Republic are the result of the civil war that has devastated the country for years. The Community of Sant’Egidio has played a role of mediation in this conflict and has in fact been at the forefront of the country’s pacification programme for several years; it participated in the negotiations together with the African Union, the United Nations and the governments of the region, which led to the Khartoum peace agreement in February 2019.
more...The Central African Republic’s healthcare system is very fragile, about 28% of the facilities have been partially or completely destroyed during the conflict. This sector currently lacks about 2,000 qualified healthcare and management professionals. The Unité de Cession Médicaments, the central state pharmacy is bankrupt because of mismanagement, which has led to a proliferation of counterfeits and illegal sales of drugs.
In 2014 there were 93 HIV treatment centres, about 30% of which were not working because of a lack of tests and drugs. Paediatric HIV is mainly treated at the Complexe Pédiatrique in Bangui. Only one third of the healthcare facilities offer the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
DREAM in the Central African Republic
The Community of Sant’Egidio has been present in the healthcare sector, providing support for various public and private structures in this country, since 2017. In 2018 an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Scientific Research and Sant’Egidio, in order to create a partnership to fight HIV. Clinique DREAM, a healthcare centre in Bangui, is in a strategic position that many densely populated districts can reach. The centre offers various healthcare services: in addition to the prevention and treatment of AIDS, it treats many chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and epilepsy too. There is also an antenatal service for pregnant women and vaccinations for children.
The centre works in collaboration with Global Health Telemedicine, a non-profit telemedicine organisation.
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