Mutual Benefit Health Insurance

MANAKARAMADAGASCAR

1) Woman’s Situation in Madagascar

• Each woman = a mother, a spouse, a companion, a daughter-in-law, a daughter and a sister

• Consequence: paramount role/numerous duties

2) Women from AIC Manakara

• Widows, abandoned or separated from their husband.

• With dependant children /often unemployed

• Lacking : - social security - family allowance - living allowance

• Health : - precarious - constantly undernourished - unhealthy living conditions

3) What about medical cares?

• Every medical treatment (consultation, surgical operation, injection, medical equipment,…) has to be paid ;

• In case of hospitalisation, the patient must even pay for the smallest item used to treat him (cotton wool, compress, alcohol, syringe,…).

It is so expensive to be healthy!!!

4) Actions of AIC Manakara

§1. Training, education and raising awareness

• For the mothers

Training twice a week, 1hour/week:

- health matters

- matters of hygiene

- VIH/SIDA prevention- promotion of breastfeeding

- fighting against abortion and family planning

• For teenagers

- For girls/ boys : program of education for life

- Set up in the beginning of November 2006

- Includes: - hygiene and health matters; - prevention against AIDS virus, - unwanted or too early pregnancies - and abortion.

• For preschool children

- Importance of hygiene (washing your body, your hands before each meal, your fingernails …)

- Often in songs

§2. Vaccination program

– Against:- poliomyelitis,

- measles,

- tuberculosis,

- tetanus.

§3. Taking part in national campaigns

– promotion of breastfeeding

– National campaigns of vaccination (poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles,…)

– distribution of vitamins A, vermicides,…

– distribution of impregnated mosquito nets and of medicines ( palu STOP) during campaigns of struggle against malaria

§5. Creation of a Mutual Benefit Health insurance (set up in October 2005)

OBJECTIVES

- Millennium Development Goal n°5 : improve maternal health

- Millennium Development Goal n° 8 : develop a global partnership for development

SETTING UP

- Participation of the mothers: - starting from their knowledge first (what do

you know about …), then correcting, completing or improving their answers.

- In order to help them learn, we use posters because many of them are illiterate and we repeat frequently to further memorization.

- Nominal Contribution paid each month (200 Ariary, more or less 0,07 Euros).

- Distribution of soap for a derisory price (once a week)

- Providing basic medicines (isobetadine, aspirins, calcium, tetracycline, paracetamol, syringes, vitamins, chloroquine, …) bought in the local pharmacies.

- Taking care of the medical expenses at the health center or public hospital  : a midwife and a doctor are available at any time.

- Monitoring each mother (personal notebook and a notebook for each family with a list of the medicines in stock and overview of the payments of the contribution and the spending made).

SUBSIDIES

- Subsidies from MEMISA (Belgian association) to grant basic medicines ;

- Twinning with AIC Saint Louis (île de France Paris) in the beginning of 2007

- Contribution from the mothers

RELUCTANCIES

- Because of a short-term vision: they are not ill at the moment, so they do not understand why they should contribute now.

- When they are ill, they rush to pay their contribution to be able to benefit from the AIC support

- Importance of the testimonies of the mothers who were helped by the Mutual Benefit health Insurance to convince the most reluctant of the importance of contributing.

TESTIMONIES

- Mrs. Christine had a crisis of malaria, and could receive the injections of quinine and paracetamol that she needed. « I can go on taking care of my three dependant grand-children, since my daughter died two years ago».

- Bao Josephine : « My son had a tractor accident, and split his head. He was badly shaken and bled a lot. Thanks to the Mutual Benefit Health Insurance, he could go to hospital where he received all the necessary treatments free of charge».

- Mrs. Sara : « I had the flu. Very badly !!! And my tension shot up. I needed injections and tablets, so thanks to the mutual health insurance, I went straight to the health care center and I had all the treatments free of charge. How would have taken care of my children if I had been very ill ?»

5) Conclusions

An example to be followed by everyone…

For a better health for everyone…