Making basic health care accessible to rural communities: a case study of Kiang West district in rural Gambia

Type Journal Article - Public Health Nursing
Title Making basic health care accessible to rural communities: a case study of Kiang West district in rural Gambia
Author(s)
Volume 31
Issue 2
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Page numbers 126-133
URL http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/24588131
Abstract
This study focuses on lack of access to basic health care, which is one of the hindrances
to the development of the poor, and subjects them to the poverty penalty. It also focuses on contributing
to the Bottom of the Pyramid in a general sense, in addition to meeting the health needs of communities
where people live on less than $1 a day. Strengthened multistakeholder responses and better-targeted,
low-cost prevention, and care strategies within health systems are suggested to address the health burdens
of poverty-stricken communities. In this study, a multistakeholder model which includes the government,
World Health Organization, United Nations Children Emergency Fund, and the Medical
Research Council was created to highlight the collaborative approach in rural Gambia. The result shows
infant immunization and antenatal care coverage were greatly improved which contributes to the reduction
in mortality. This case study also finds that strategies addressing health problems in rural communities
are required to achieve Millennium Development Goals. In particular, actual community visits to
satellite villages within a district (area of study) are extremely vital to making health care accessible.

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