Central African Republic faces 'dire' health situation

"Surrounded by Sudan, Chad and Congo where more high-profile crises are taking place, [the Central African Republic's (CAR)] dire and desperate health situation -- in which few people have access to health care and many die of easily treatable diseases -- has received little attention and even less assistance," writes Unni Karunakara, international president of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), in an article on MSF's webpage. "The international community -- donor countries, United Nations and other multilateral agencies, humanitarian and development agencies -- needs to be more effectively involved in the setting of health priorities and supporting the delivery of health care in CAR," Karunakara writes, adding, "If this situation was occurring anywhere else in the world, you would surely have mobilized by now" (8/17).