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Eritrea: Exemplary Efforts And Achievements in the Health Sector
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Shabait.com (Asmara)
EDITORIAL
5 March 2008
Posted to the web 5 March 2008
Asmara
The even distribution of health centers and health professionals in cities, as well as remote villages, reduced infant, maternal mortality rates, and preventable diseases. Such disease prevention capacities are not only human development indicators but also some of the important objectives of the Millennium Development Goals.
Long before the Millennium Development Goals were drafted, the PFDJ in its 3rd congress, in 1994, ratified the Eritrean National Charter in which it is clearly stated that every Eritrean citizen, wherever he/she may be, has the right to health services. It further states that it is equally important to secure an even distribution of health services in every part of the country as well as to give priority to health education and disease prevention endeavors.
Based on such principles, in the years since independence, Eritrea has been able to provide adequate health services in all parts of the country, reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, prevent the spread of communicable disease, increase the number of health professionals, provide easy access to mother and child health care and increase the people's awareness regarding health issues. Thus, Eritrea has become one of the leading nations in realizing the MDGs. The Director of WHO, in a recent visit to Eritrea, stated that the country's achievements in addressing basic health issues; preventing and controlling the spread of communicable diseases such as polio, malaria, and HIV/AIDS; as well as reducing infant and maternal mortality rates are exemplary indeed. He further noted that other developing nations could draw lessons from Eritrea's accomplishments. Moreover, Asmara was selected to host the Cross-Country Workshop on Evaluating the Impact of Malaria and HIV/AID because of Eritrea's success in disease prevention programs and particularly in reducing deaths resulting from malaria.
A government devoted to the welfare of its people and the nation as a whole is the cornerstone of national socio-economic development. In today's world, the competence of governments is measured through their ability to formulate definite and clear development plans and, subsequently, their ability to effectively implement such plans. As the experiences in the world attest, no people have been able to secure development without first setting up people-oriented governance. Eritrea's progress in the health sector and other social service sectors, as well as the success it has scored in gradually implementing the Millennium Development Goals' objectives, is mainly attributed to active popular participation and a government committed to the people's welfare. However, the progress scored should not prompt health professionals and the public at large to relax their efforts, but rather encourage them to step up their endeavors for still greater achievements.
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