As part of our public health programs, we have begun holding community meetings to improve Lalmba’s responsiveness to community needs and concerns. At our first meeting, we began by asking community members what Lalmba means to them. Their responses were a heart-lifting reminder of why we are here. Numerous people stood to attest to what Lalmba has done for them or their family—vaccinations, family planning, fistula repair, TB treatment, affordable medical services, education—the list went on and on. One item that was repeated over and over at each meeting was that Lalmba transports sick patients from our outreach sites to our clinic for assistance. This is true. If we encounter an ill patient on outreach we will always squeeze them into our car and drive them to the health center for treatment. But I had to stop to ask myself, “why is this service so important?” Regularly, Isuzu trucks drive past our outreach sites charging 10 Birr for a ride to Chiri. Residents commonly use this mode of transportation without a problem.
And so I asked—“why do you value a ride from Lalmba so much?” The answer shocked me. If an Isuzu truck driver determines that someone wanting a ride is ill, he will increase the price of said ride 50-fold… charging 500 Birr to get to Chiri. This is simple economics. If the driver knows the passenger is desperate, he knows he can charge more for the ride. It is also an example of the problems faced by a community with no safety net for the sick. In our area there is no ambulance service, and only two ways of getting to the clinic for help—you can pay 500 Birr or walk on foot.
And so, Lalmba inadvertently has been saving patients from making this shockingly impossible decision.
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