These can be helpful, but they are often not as strong as medicine from a hospital. People in my village see it as a disadvantage to be far away from health care. When hospitals are far away, women who are pregnant may not be able to see a doctor until they are about to give birth. Some preventable pregnancy issues might be missed if pregnant women do not see a doctor regularly. Although there is traditional healing knowledge, people in my village know that they would be able to be healed more quickly from illnesses and accidents if they had better access to a health care facility.
My host community has a need for improved health care for several reasons. In a rural area, people live far apart from one another because the land is used for farming. A dispersed (spread out) population needs more hospitals than a dense population. So far, in Togo, there are simply not enough hospitals for the population size and geographical spread.
Even if a hospital is close, traveling to a hospital can be difficult.The roads are not well maintained. Roads may be bumpy, stony, muddy, or sandy. Heavy rains may flood a road. Some roads are so narrow or rough cars cannot drive on them, only motorcycles. In my village there are not any cars, so everyone walks, rides a bicycle or motorcycle, or pays someone else for a ride on their motorcycle. Can you imagine walking for miles with a broken arm? Or riding on a motorcycle over a bumpy road with an upset stomach? Sometimes the distance and difficulty of arriving at a health clinic can discourage people from going to the doctor, even if a doctor is available.
