Health Work                                            

The health needs of Lesotho are huge – with 31% of the population suffering with HIV/AIDS, TB rates are very high with increasing multi-resistant strains and there is a growing public health risk with diabetes. With such statistics Dolen Cymru’s health work is imperative. Healthcare in Lesotho is still very poor and the health structure is uncoordinated, fragmented and under funded. Our work has encompassed mental health training, medical student electives, bilateral health placements, and developing a HIV/AIDS programme.

Health Links between Lesotho and Wales have been evolving over the last 18 years.  Health placements and medical elective placements in the Lesotho Health service have been numerous. Over the past two years Memorandum of Understanding [MoUs] have been agreed between Dolen Cymru and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare which provides financial support to health professionals working with the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru as well as between the North West Wales Trust and Quthing Hospital.MoUs are in place describing the twinning arrangement.