U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA), a non-profit humanitarian organization founded 11 years ago, has several ongoing projects on the continent, including sending mobile clinics to rural communities. Ted Alemayhu, founder, CEO and chairman of the group, spoke with AllAfrica about its work.
You were born in Ethiopia and emigrated to the United States when you were a teenager. What prompted you to become involved in humanitarian work?
I think the situation in Africa in general, and particularly where I came from, was very dire – at least [it was] 20 years ago. Growing up, I saw it go from bad to worse. Thinking about where you are born…to think about the entire continent suffering equally – that really has been the driving force of me forming this organization.
How does it feel to be able to give something back to Africa?
It's fantastic and I think it's everybody's dream to… help the country and the continent that gave you birth. I've been extremely fortunate to be able to fulfill that dream. It certainly was not an easy journey. It took a lot of risk, effort, time and energy, and money of my own, to launch it and see it flourishing.
A significant number of African nurses, doctors and other health professionals are leaving for better futures in the West. How might this trend be reversed and are you working on anything related to this?
Yes. It is one thing to mobilize doctors and nurses [from the West] to give… direct medical care, education or capacity building. But ultimately every organization like U.S. Doctors for Africa needs to… encourage African diaspora physicians or medical personnel to go back to their homeland for an extended period of time with some kind of very comfortable incentives so they can help their own people. They can go back and plant a very strong seed.
So we're launching what we call the African Diaspora Medical Professionals' Mission. We have a project which is very, very attractive, which would inspire and encourage professionals to go back from three to six months. It is something we're going to work out with individual governments, foundations and other funding sources.
Why do they leave Africa in the first place?
The primary reason is finance; it's economic need. How much does a doctor make in Zambia? His friend who emigrated to the United Kingdom or the States makes potentially 100 times more.
It's a very difficult situation – who do you blame? Do you blame the doctor looking for a better life for him and his family? Do you blame the government, the foundation? The fact of the matter is African doctors today are leaving for better opportunity. We know the reality. We want to find a [way] so they can serve their community, their country and the continent, while at the same time pursuing their other needs… abroad.
The problem is becoming not only Africa's, it's becoming the world's problem. While things are getting worse and people are dying by the millions, developed nations are pouring billions of dollars into the continent to find a sustainable solution to the growing health care problem. More focus is needed really to come up with a win-win solution.
One way USDFA has been helping has been by sending US medical personnel to different parts of Africa to help out?
Most people in Africa are dying from preventable diseases – malaria, even diarrhea. More than 85 percent of people live in a rural setting so they have no clinics or hospitals… and die from the types of diseases that can be prevented with over-the-counter medication.
A year ago we made a commitment to launching 200 mobile clinics in Africa over the next 15 to 20 years, worth 75 million dollars. Our strategy is to bring medical care to where people live.
Soon [our first mobile clinic] will be on its way to Africa. We are going to launch a couple of them first as a pilot [one in Ghana and one in Ethiopia]. We have talked to a number of potential partners and ministries of health, to create a strategic partnership with us. So they have a responsibility as well for the success of this initiative.
There's a lot of excitement and support for the initiative and we're very anxious to show the world this is an effective tool. I think with more partnerships and more funding more of these clinics can be deployed in more parts of Africa and literally save lives, which is the ultimate goal.
Will the clinics stay in one place or be on the move?
We're going to work very closely with ministries of health. They know, better than we do, where the needs are and we're going to work with them on a schedule of deployment. We may remain in one rural setting for two weeks to a month and then switch to a nearby town or village.
And you will be distributing medication as well?
Even providing basic vaccinations – I think a lot of countries and foundations around the world have been generous enough to provide drugs and funding for the continent. But the delivery system has become a challenge. It's nice to have all of this medication and other resources but you've got to have the tools to bring medication or volunteer doctors or food to where the people live.
The mobile clinic will be amazingly effective to go out and vaccinate thousands of kids… We want to play a proactive role by deploying these clinics instead of playing a reactive role.
Will you be giving out medication to treat HIV/AIDS or dealing with the disease in any specific way? Will you provide training?
I think it's going to depend on where we will be led or advised by ministries of health and other partners. Our job will be providing these mobile clinics with medical personnel and other resources, not only to provided treatment and other services but at the same time we'll be providing training with local health care givers.
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We want to be able to train and show people the effectiveness of mobile clinics. A year down the road we want a particular town or the minister of health of a particular country to take over the operation. We would then play more of an adviser and assisting role. As we deploy these clinics we'll train the local people.
We're still going to be providing volunteer physicians. The number might decrease because as you train the local people the chances are you may not need as many volunteer doctors. At the end of the day you have to turn it over to the community so they'll be self- sustained rather than always hoping that U.S. Doctors will come rescue them.
Do you have any other new projects planned?
Another thing we have introduced, about a year and a half ago, is the Africa-USA Sister Hospital Partnership Program – a very direct and effective initiative. The concept is to create a direct relationship between American hospitals and African hospitals, to be like sister cities.
With this direct partnership a number of things could be fulfilled. Medical resources and expertise could be exchanged. Doctors and nurses from the sister hospital in the US could go to assist the sister hospital in Africa. They can establish a video conference with teaching.
We have approached… a number of hospitals across the States and they are extremely interested in establishing a relationship with African hospitals. We can easily create a relationship between 100 hospitals in the U.S. and 100 in Africa.
