Healthcare In Broader Terms

Like many developing countries, Nigeria has only rudimentary national health statistics. Severe poverty is the root cause of death and disease. Widespread poverty results in malnutrition, overcrowded living conditions, inadequate sanitation, and contaminated water. The diseases that claim the majority of lives in Nigeria are malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. The World Health Organisation estimates  malaria mortality  for children under five years of age is 729 per 100,000. In 2004, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health reported that malaria was the cause of one in three deaths in children and one in ten deaths in pregnant women. The annual incidence of tuberculosis is estimated at almost 300,000 and the disease causes more than 70,000 deaths each year.

Recent estimates from UNAIDS suggested that by the end of 2001, 3.5 million people in Nigeria were infected with HIV/AIDS, the equivalent of 6% of the sexually active population. The World Health Organisation estimates that the number of HIV/AIDS cases in 2003 may have grown to 4.9 million by 2003. In the same year, an estimated 310,000 deaths occurred as a result of the virus. Furthermore, Nigeria is predicted to lose 4.3 million lives to AIDS by 2015.

Sail Harbour Foundation
Core Health Objectives:

• Set up HIV/AIDS programs and services (recruit voluntary health workers, establish village clinic and referral hospital)
• Implement malaria and tuberculosis prevention programs
• Establish access to information regarding nutrition, maternity and child healthcare
• Fight neglected tropical diseases
• Provide primary healthcare through the village clinic
• Promote vaccination programs for children and at-risk adults

We will set up health education programs for adults, youths and children (both community and home-based education) covering all categories of primary healthcare.

Critical Needs
1 Anti-malarial drugs for preventative and curative purposes.
2 De-worming drugs for children.
3 Immunization against common childhood illnesses.
4 Vocational training school to retain school-leavers in the locality. 
5 Portable Toilets.
6 Access to treated, potable water (from bore-hole)
7 Mobile Clinic.

Long Term Needs

Building a Primary Healthcare Center will ensure that villagers have regular, reliable access to all forms of essential healthcare. Initially it will be managed by trained healthcare workers under the supervision of a public health medical consultant. Meanwhile capable locals can be recruited and sent to health/technology schools/colleges to acquire the skills for taking over the running of the center.