Target Diseases
A short list of diseases that are easily preventable, and/or treatable with inexpensive drugs account for over two-thirds of childhood illness and death in the developing world. Almost a million people die each year of malaria in Africa alone. Living Goods focuses on these ‘treatable killer’ diseases. Most treatments are priced at a level affordable to all but the poorest of clients.
| Target Diseases: Yearly Death Toll |
Global | Africa |
| Malaria | 1,300,000 |
1,100,000 |
| Diarrhoeal Diseases | 1,800,000 |
700,000 |
| Respiratory Infections | 3,900,000 |
1,100,000 |
| Tuberculosis | 1,500,000 |
350,000 |
| TOTAL | 8,500,000 |
3,250,000
|
Geographic and Demographic Targeting
Living Goods’ focus is on villages with inadequate access to essential medicines, underserved by the existing public and private health infrastructure. LG measures access based on proximity, affordability, quality and consistency of in-stock availability. Drug shortages at public facilities are a chronic problem throughout Africa. It is common for rural villagers to spend a full day and up to $2 in transport to a government dispensary only to find, after waiting in a long line, that vital medications are unavailable. Studies show that private independent drug sellers often stock counterfeit or out of date medicines and rarely provide competent diagnoses.
Family Planning and Reproductive Health
LG agents offer basic family planning services and, as noted, sell a range of contraceptive products. LG Health Promoters seek out all pregnant women in their service areas and provide them basic antenatal check ups and health training. Agents conduct community outreach promoting reproductive health and can offer services such as weight measurement and early detection of high-risk pregnancies for referral to the public health system.
