VOA标准英语2010年-UNICEF Bringing $7 Million in Drugs to

Before Sierra Leone's April 27 launch of free health care for pregnant women and children under five, the United Nations Children's Fund is stockpiling $7 million worth of medicine.

In one month's time, the country will launch an ambitious plan to provide free health care to lactating and pregnant women and children under five, in an attempt to reduce maternal¹ and child mortality in the country.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.  Lack of essential drugs to keep pregnant women and young children healthy is a major hurdle² to providing comprehensive care.

Lianne Kuppens leads UNICEF's child survival and development team in Sierra Leone.  She says the drugs are essential, if some of the people in the country is to achieve real free health care.

"The drugs, which are worth around $7 million, are in line with the national essential drugs," she said.  "It is a list which has been made with all the stakeholders in support of the government.  And, it is covering diseases like diarrhea, like malaria³, like pneumonia⁴, all the basic diseases that people face and then, of course, we try to address the most vulnerable among all of them."

The drugs will also address conditions such as diabetes⁵ and hypertension that put pregnant women at risk for complications during pregnancy⁶.

Kuppens says the drugs are expected to last for six months.

Kuppens says one of the biggest challenges to providing free health care is making sure appropriate medicines are available at the village-level, across the country.  There are few depositories to properly store the drugs

The drugs will be distributed by UNICEF directly from the port to district health units, which will then supply rural health facilities.

In March, Sierra Leone's former health minister was convicted under the country's anti-corruption laws, in a procurement⁷ scandal involving bids to provide the ministry⁸ with chemicals.

The British Department for International Development is funding the procurement of the drug stockpile, as part of their $51 million support of Sierra Leone's free health care initiative.
 

1 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

2 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

3 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

4 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

5 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

6 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

7 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。