New Health Clinic Opens in Sankal with US Assistance

DJIBOUTI, Djibouti, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- U.S. military, U.S. Embassy-Djibouti and key Djiboutian personnel in Eastern Africa traveled to Sankal, Djibouti, and participated in opening ceremonies for a new health clinic Feb. 13, 2014.

Rear Adm. Alexander Krongard, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) deputy commander, received a warm welcome from the Sankal residents and said he was very pleased with the end result of the clinic.

“Today is the culmination of over two years of hard work and collaboration between the Ministry of Health, USAID, and the U.S. military engineers from the Combined Joint Task-Horn of Africa; the local contractor “Enterprise Alla-Amin,” and the inhabitants of Sankal who were here while this project was in progress, from its start to its completion,” Krongard said during his opening remarks.

The $322,000 facility includes a, maternity center, living quarters for duty nurses, an incinerator and three cisterns. Solar panels were also installed for electricity, and a water distribution system was connected to the village's existing water supply system.

Krongard said this facility is a stepping stone in support of the universal human desire for good health. “When a country's citizens are healthy, they can turn their attention toward daily activities that can help their families and their village to prosper,” he said.

One of CJTF-HOA's objectives is to improve conditions for Djiboutian citizens and Krongard expressed his appreciation to the residents of Sankal for, “their continued support of U.S. Forces in Djibouti. We could not be in this county without the acceptance and support of the Government of the Republic of Djibouti and all the Djiboutian citizens.”

This clinic isn't the first the U.S. has supported. Julie Stufft, U.S. Embassy-Djibouti Deputy Chief of Mission, pointed out the U.S. has supported more than 90 percent of all World Health Clinics in Djibouti and it won't stop there.

“We will continue to support the Ministry of Health to provide better healthcare to the citizens of Djibouti,” Stufft said.