Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
IN ETHIOPIA, DJIBOUTI & SOMALILAND
Availability & Cost of Health Care
Health care in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland is varied: Addis Ababa, Djibouti City and
Hargeisa have good facilities with well-trained doctors and nurses, but outside the capitals
health care is patchy at best. Medicine and even sterile dressings and intravenous fluids
might need to be purchased from a local pharmacy by patients or their relatives. The stand-
ard of dental care is equally variable, and there's an increased risk of hepatitis B and HIV
transmission via poorly sterilised equipment. By and large, public hospitals in the region
offer the cheapest service, but will have the least up-to-date equipment and medications;
mission hospitals (where donations are the usual form of payment) often have more reason-
able facilities; and private hospitals and clinics are more expensive but tend to have more
advanced drugs and equipment and better trained medical staff.
Most drugs can be purchased over the counter in the region, without a prescription. Try
to visit a pharmacy rather than a 'drug shop' or 'rural drug vendor', as they're the only
ones with trained pharmacists who can offer educated advice. Many drugs for sale in Africa
might be ineffective: they might be counterfeit or might not have been stored under the
right conditions. The most common examples of counterfeit drugs are malaria tablets and
expensive antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin. Most drugs are available in larger towns, but
remote villages will be lucky to have a couple of paracetamol tablets. It's strongly recom-
mended that all drugs for chronic diseases be brought from home.
Although condoms are readily available (sometimes boxes - yes boxes! - are in hotel
rooms), their efficacy cannot be relied upon, so bring all the contraception you'll need.
Condoms bought in Africa might not be of the same quality as in Europe or Australia, and
they might have been incorrectly stored.
There's a high risk of contracting HIV from infected blood if you receive a blood trans-
fusion in the region. The
BloodCare Foundation
(
www.bloodcare.org.uk
)
is a useful
source of safe, screened blood, which can be transported to any part of the world within 24
hours.
Infectious Diseases
It's a formidable list but, as we say, a few precautions go a long way…
