Before this helicopter is much-needed medical help for residents in a remote part of Mali, the West African nation has been in turmoil for about seven years since rebels and loosely allied Islamists briefly seized control of the north in 2012. Now, with help from armed peacekeepers, area residents can at least get medical check-ups. I’m very relieved after being seen by the doctor. They are doing a great job.

The UN Security Council deployed the troops for providing security, and humanitarian assistance in the vast scrublands of Africa’s Sahel region is a daunting task. We do not have all the necessary paraphernalia, but we are doing our best even against the recurrent diseases we find. Despite this push for medical exams, remote clinics have a hard time providing care. Most of the patients are elderly people with chronic articular diseases, like arthritis and ocular problems in particular. There are some illnesses that we cannot treat with the limited resources we have here, diseases like cataracts and glaucoma. Those are diseases that need more specialized care.

The government says armed men killed 37 civilians in central Mali on New Year’s Day, further complicating the already difficult task of bringing basic health care to Mali’s most at-risk residents.

Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.

Source: VOA News

http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201901/575974.shtml