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It is hard to imagine what it is like not to have free medical care near to where you live.  

Burkina Faso in West Africa is one of the poorest countries on the planet, where 46% of the people live below the poverty line of less than US$1 per day. Even if there was a medical facility nearby most people would not be able to afford any kind of medical treatment for themselves or their family.

1 hospital for 1.3 million people

In Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country, there is one hospital for 1.3 million people. As a result of this lack of medical care average life expectancy is just 46 years for males and 49 for females and only 54% of births are attended by healthcare personnel (source: World Health Stats).

Building a medical centre

Our vision is to build a medical centre over the next 5 years. A medical centre that can help ordinary people as they struggle against disease. It will provide pre and post natal care, an accident and emergency facility to deal with the immediate, urgent day-to-day accidents, a laboratory to diagnose blood disorders including Malaria and HIV/AIDS, along with diagnosis of the usual children's illnesses.

Our medical centre will make a world of difference to the lives of ordinary people in Bobo Dioulasso who currently have no way of obtaining relief from minor ailments as well as treatment for more serious illneses.

The first stage of the project is anticipated to cost £350,000 - £400,000. The complete medical centre will cost just over £1 million.

Medical staff for the Centre will be provided and paid for by the Burkina Faso Government once the first phase is open and former NHS Medical equipment could be supplied to the hospital worth around £10,000.

Join our 'Let's Build Together' network and help us to build this medical centre in Burkina Faso, click here.

In June 2009, the first GoGlobal trip to Burkina Faso went ahead and was a great success.

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