During the rainy season in Madagascar, healthcare access becomes a major issue for people living in remote areas. The peak season for malaria coincides with the cyclone and rainy season, which lasts from October to May. This makes it challenging for people to reach health centres and can result in delayed medical care until their health reaches a critical state. For malnourished children, this poses an even greater risk to their lives.
Dr. Nantenaina, a medical doctor at the Intensive Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC) run by MSF, highlights the difficulties faced during heavy rainfall. The roads become muddy, flooded, and impassable, making it hard for both health workers and patients to travel to health centres. This inhibits patients from seeking timely medical attention or being sent home for follow-up care.
In areas like Ikongo, where healthcare facilities are far from households, the journey to seek medical help can be arduous. Soanary, the mother of a 4-year-old boy with malnutrition and malaria, shares her experience of traveling to the nearest health centre. To reach the facility, she had to walk for four hours, crossing through water with her son on her back as his condition worsened.
Overall, the combination of heavy rainfall and the malaria peak season creates significant challenges for accessing healthcare in Madagascar. It underscores the need for improved infrastructure and resources to ensure that all individuals, especially vulnerable populations like malnourished children, can receive timely medical care regardless of the weather conditions.
One way that organizations like MSF are working to improve healthcare access is by setting up temporary clinics in remote areas during heavy rainfall periods. These clinics provide essential medical care and support services to those who may not otherwise have access due to weather-related challenges.
Despite these efforts though, there is still much work that needs to be done in order to ensure that everyone has access to adequate healthcare regardless of their location or circumstances. This includes investing in better infrastructure such as roads and bridges that can withstand heavy rainfall and ensuring that healthcare facilities are properly equipped with supplies and personnel necessary for providing quality care.
Ultimately though it’s clear that during heavy rainfall periods there is a significant impact on healthcare access in Madagascar which highlights the importance of improving infrastructure and resources in order