Privatizing community animal health worker based veterinary services delivery system in West Kordofan, Southern Sudan; The needed roles of community animal health assistant (CAHA) and Pastoral unions

Abstract

Historically the Government of Sudan (GoS) has provided nationwide veterinary services free of charge. In 11993 however, the southern Sudan, where the west Kordofan is situated, was hit by deteriorating security situation, which compounded by budgetary constraint, poor infrastructure and recurrent drought rendered the state unable to provide even the basic veterinary services. For the livestock owners in the south, the near total collapse of the veterinary service delivery system was exacerbated by the adoption of policies aimed at liberalizing and privatizing the delivery of inputs and services in face of a non-performing economy and lack of disposal income. The transhuman pastoralism practice has kept to a very regular pattern between north and south. During the dry season (December to May) the herders move southwards while with the onset of the rainy season (June to November), which coincides with the influx of biting flies and diseases, they migrate northwards. This pattern of movement renders fixed point delivery of veterinary services currently being offered by the GoS and some private practitioners totally ineffective. In addition the migration pattern and the inaccessibility of the routes used during the migration makes it expensive and physically difficult to sustain a motorized delivery system. In response to the UNICEF/OLS, CARE, UNDIP-UNSO/ARS, SKADP and El Bir introduced the community based animal health worker (CAWH) programmes in 1992. Initially veterinary inputs and services were subsidized but emphasis is now shifting to full cost recovery. The services provided by the CAWHs were paid for from the money received through a cost recovery system. This arrangement, however involves both development agencies and the GoS and all thus not viewed as being sustainable in the long run the present study undertaken to review the current CAHW structure and provide a realistic plan that outlines the details necessary for providing a middle management level structure of animal health care providers to evaluate, monitor and support the CAHWs in the field. This paper describes the proposed services delivery and administrative structure envisaged as being the most cost effective, practical and sustainable for the area. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 27 2004: pp. 52-60