According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
Constitution: “the enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of
every human being…”. Yet here in Lesotho, and other developing regions of the world, this right is infringed upon almost
daily, both directly and indirectly.
Treatment decisions are frequently based on prudent use of limited
supplies, rather than the best interest of the patient. Health clinics in the rural areas are few and far between
and provide only very basic services.
Hospitals are found only in district capitals and, especially here in
the Eastern Highlands where TTL is based, are a multi-day journey for
many. For those fortunate enough
to reach a hospital in a timely manner, treatment is further delayed by long
queues or indirectly denied secondary to resource allocation, damaged or
missing equipment and / or poor staff to patient ratios. Destitution and sickness, a deadly
combination; a literal dead-end.
Here at TTL, we witness the inadequacies of this fractured healthcare
system on a regular basis. We work
tirelessly to advocate for the infants and children in our care, to give a
voice to those silenced by poverty.
We advocate, one child at a time. Yet, far too often we encounter
premature deaths: death from pneumonia
because there is only one working oxygen tank at the hospital, death from
dehydration because of lack of intravenous access supplies, death from an
internal injury due to time and distance; each incident a rebuke that falls on
deaf ears. Until equality in
healthcare is a global priority, stupid deaths will occur all over the world.
They believe that access to healthcare is a basic human
right, do you?
