Working in South Vietnam in the early 1970’s Dr Edric Baker was confronted with the challenge of providing health services for the rural poor. In 1983, having equipped himself with post graduate qualifications and further tropical medical experience, he went to Bangladesh.
Starting from scratch, he taught literacy and numeracy before training local people in a poor, isolated rural community to become “barefoot medics”. Today Edric is Medical Officer in Charge of a unique rural health centre where health services are provided for the poor by the poor.
Kailakuri Health Centre today has 86 local staff, none of whom have any formal medical qualifications. They have been taught on the job. Most have had some secondary schooling, some have only been to primary school, but the training they have received empowers them to provide a wide range of health services to their local community.
In the last 12 months the Centre has handled 33,100 outpatient consultations and 1,100 inpatients. The successful TB programme treated 71 people with 43 of these completing treatments in the 2011 year. The diabetes programme provides on-going support for 1, 367 diabetics – a 22% increase over the previous year. Mother and child health care services are provided in 17 surrounding villages.
All of this accomplished, by the poor for the poor, at a fraction of what the same services would cost in NZ. In Bangladesh only the wealthy can afford medical care. Kailakuri is showing that it does not have to be like that and that it is possible for the very poor to be provided with appropriate health care services.
Edric, who was last in NZ in 2009, is now coming home for four months (April – July) of much deserved leave. Between visiting family and friends he will be touring the country and is willing to meet with NZCMS groups who would like to learn more of his work and experiences. Please email kailakuri.nzlink@gmail.com by the end of February if you’d like to arrange a meeting with Edric while he’s in New Zealand.