When we discuss barriers to healthcare in the developed world, affordability is commonly the biggest concern. But for some in the developing world, physical distance and topography can be the difference between life and death.
Widjifake, a hard-to-reach village in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a population of 6,500, struggles with having consistent access to healthcare supplies due to the Congo River and its winding tributaries.
It can take up to three hours for vehicles carrying supplies to reach the village.
Widjifake's struggle is just one of many in a country fraught with healthcare challenges.
"The coverage rate for routine immunization in DRC is extremely low and the Ministry of Health has declared a health emergency to work to improve it," said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, according to SUAS News.
"Coincidently, DRC is experiencing an unprecedented series of deadly disease outbreaks, which are all symptoms of poor coverage, weak health systems, lack of infrastructure, and broader health issues in the country," Berkley continued.
The DRC has worked to solve this health care crisis by launching a campaign called New Generation Supply Chain program or Nouvelle Génération des Chaînes d'Approvisionnement (NGCA). One of the major goals of the NGCA is to reach remote populations in villages such as Widjifake with vaccines and medical supplies.
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One solution they were eager to test is transporting supplies via drones.
On August 8, the Ministry of Health, VillageReach, Swoop Aero, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, came together to make the first successful delivery of medical supplies to Widjifake via drone.
The drone's vertical take-off and landing capability allowed it to easily traverse the DRC's dense jungle and raging rivers to drop down in a clearing at a health center in the village.
The first drone, launched in Mbandaka, took just 20 minutes to travel 40 kilometers (25 miles) to Widjifake and delivered the vaccines at their proper temperature to ensure maximum efficacy.
On the drone's return trip, it brought back lab samples, data collection forms, and requests for medicines needed to Mbandaka.
Most of the villagers in Widjifake has never seen a drone before and marveled as it took to the sky.
[ia_video https://s3.amazonaws.com/roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F14129-Drone%2Blift%2Boff%2Bfrom%2BWidjifake.mp4 source="https://s3.amazonaws.com/roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F14129-Drone%2Blift%2Boff%2Bfrom%2BWidjifake.mp4" autoplay=true feedbacks=true shortcode_id=1568069596608 expand=1 ]On the first day, the drones managed four successful round-trip test flights to deliver a three-month supply of vaccines which were administered to children that day.
Over the next five days, the drones would complete another 50 round-trip flights.
The DRC's Ministry of Health were impressed by the delivery and see drones as a way forward in the battle to increase healthcare access.
"The Ministry of Health welcomes this innovation that facilitates the transport of vaccines and other essential health products through drones to overcome accessibility challenges in Equateur's hard-to-reach communities. This will bring essential health care closer to the population in order to improve universal health coverage," said Yuma Ramazani, Secretary-General for Health, DRC.
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The next big challenge for relief workers is making sure medical supplies are available to be transported.
"Rivers, forests, and difficult roads can be the first barriers to accessing basic health services. If people overcome these geographical barriers, they may find another: a health center without vaccines or essential medicines," Emily Bancroft, CEO of VillageReach, said.
"We believe drones have significant potential to create the responsive, people-centered supply chains that will ensure access to health care for under-reached populations," she continued.
While drones aren't a cure-all the multitude of healthcare problems in the DRC, they've proven to be an effective, safe, and affordable way to bring isolated populations the medical supplies they desperately need.
Olivier Defawe from Drones for Health says the next step involves securing financing for drone programs so they can be expanded.
"As with any viable solution, the need exists to secure continued funding for a long-term investment that would enable its full integration into the health system," Defawe told VillageReach. "Once we secure ongoing capital, all systems are go."
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.