Save the Children has equipped 60 family medicine offices in rural areas across 28 counties with medical equipment, as part of the "First Step to Health" program, with a one-million-euro investment aimed at reducing infant mortality rates.
According to a press release from Save the Children Romania sent on Tuesday, 12,000 mothers and pregnant women in disadvantaged rural areas now have access to improved primary healthcare services, while 14,000 children under the age of three from these communities have access to early health services.
In the two editions of the programme, it has reached 100 disadvantaged rural communities in 33 counties: Alba, Arad, Arges, Bihor, Botosani, Brasov, Buzau, Calarasi, Constanta, Covasna, Caras-Severin, Dambovita, Dolj, Giurgiu, Gorj, Galati, Harghita, Hunedoara, Iasi, Maramures, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Satu Mare, Suceava, Salaj, Sibiu, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vrancea and Vaslui.
The offices were equipped with 1,400 essential medical devices for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring mothers and children, including portable ultrasound machines, cholesterol, glucose, and hemoglobin analysers, Holter monitors, electrocardiographs, semi-automatic defibrillators, vascular and fetal Dopplers, pulse oximeters, ophthalmoscopes, and gynecological tables.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, nearly half of Romania's localities lack sufficient family doctors and in rural areas doctors serve 1.4 times more residents than those in urban areas.
Through the "First Step to Health" programme, implemented by Save the Children and financed by the OMV Petrom Foundation with 1.5 million euros, 100 family medicine offices have been equipped with medical equipment. By providing local consultations, the program aims to reduce pressure on county hospitals or emergency rooms in large cities and lower the distance and costs for pre- and post-natal consultations.
Comentează