Welcome! Karibu! Amakuru! to the WHERE Blog. We are happy to have you visit and look forward to some great conversations.
The blog was created to initiate intelligent conversations about WHERE's goals and activities and to discuss the state of health care and safety of all people within our global community. The world is an awesome place with its majestic mountains, clear streams and rivers, deep red canyons, lush farms, green pastures and its wonderous creatures in the bush. Its greatest resource is its people with their beautiful smiles, sweet laughter, bright eyes and soft touches. On the other side of earth's plenty is famine, pain, suffering, war, Genocide and extreme poverty. There are millions and millions of people that go without essential health care each every day. Why? Why do we let this happen? Is there someway we can help others less fortunate than us?
WHERE is a non-profit organization aimed at assisting health science students who have suffered great loss from war, Genocide, AIDs and extreme poverty. These nations are underserved and millions of people go without quality health care services, because there not sufficient numbers of health care professionals to provide these services. For example in Rwanda, there are no medical imaging technologists educated to provide mammography (diagnosis breast cancers), ultrasound (diagnose disease in unborn babies), radiation therapy (tre
at cancers) or nuclear medicine (diagnosis bone disease). Each year thousands and thousands die because they cannot be diagnosed or treated for common diseases/injuries.
at cancers) or nuclear medicine (diagnosis bone disease). Each year thousands and thousands die because they cannot be diagnosed or treated for common diseases/injuries. Positive for breast cancer,
but no treatment.
Patient dies at age 42.
In the U.S. and other developed nations we take this for granted. We may complain, the doctor wasn't nice to us or how long we had to wait, but all health care services are available to us. Even when we do not have insurance, we receive basic emergency care. In many nations around the world, people are left to die, beca
use the x-ray to diagnose pneumonia or a simple fracture is not available. Without diagnosis a patient is not treated. WHERE's overarching goal is to assist deserving students to learn essential health care skills so they can provide quality health care services to their citizens. Healthier populations make for more productive societies.
You ask why you should get involved. Well, there are many reasons.
First, everyone has the right to live and be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their race, nationality or economic status. Having access to health care is one of those rights. We need to help one another rise above the inequities.
Second, billions of our tax dollars go to foreign aid and much of that is aid for health care services. If each nation had sufficient number of health care professionals to provide services wealthier nations would be less needed. Tax dollars would be redistributed elsewhere.
Third, healthier populations are more productive and wealth can be spread among its people,therefore war is less likely. Much of the violence and war in the world today is caused by greed. Greed for control, power and wealth. One group wants to control the resources of another weaker group. Healthier nations are not at war.
What do you think? Come join the conversation.
Also check out our website for more information about WHERE and its mission and goals at www.WHEREhopelies.org!
