AIRA HOSPITAL CLOSES!
AIRA HOSPITAL CLOSES!
That could easily have been the title of today’s blog. Fortunately it is not.
As the regular reader of this blog already knows the hospital manages to cover 75% of the budget with income, mainly from patients’ fees. That is an extraordinary result in itself and even more when remembering that our patients are extremely poor.
The remaining 25% used to be covered by a yearly grant from a German aid organisation. More than three years ago however that organisation withdrew the financial support to the hospital, due to change of policy – not lack of money. Supporting curative (hospital) health care is not on the agenda of the majority of aid organisations anymore.
Since then the hospital has been struggling in a financial vacuum, surviving on bank savings and private donations. The money is so scarce that drugs and medical equipment has to be bought on credit and in insufficient amounts. The day when salaries cannot be paid would be the end of the affair.
The hospital signed an agreement with the regional health authority last year. The agreement includes financial support covering 30% of the hospital’s budget. Unfortunately it has not been implemented yet. According to available information 2, 3 million birr was allocated to support three non government hospitals in the region. Latest news is that 1,8 million of that money has already been transferred to a catholic hospital in the south, but Aira Hospital got nothing. The reason for this is not clear – might it be that God is catholic after all?
The hospital administration is of course doing its best to follow the matter and claim what has been promised, but it is not going to be solved easily.
In this desperate situation the hospital has been asking for an isolated emergency input of 500 000 birr (27 000 €) for purchasing enough drugs for one quarter of a year. The money would remain in the cash flow as the patients buy drugs with some percentages added for covering expenses with transport etc.
No one has responded until now.
But prayers are answered!
Today we got news that a congregation, the Betel Mission in Turku Finland has donated 38 000 € (684 000 birr) to the hospital. That will save the institution for the time being and make it possible to continue the work until hopefully the health authority fulfils the promises in the agreement.
GOD BLESS THE BETEL MISSION IN TURKU!
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