Religious organisations such as Islamic Relief and Salvation Army could expedite response to biggest global health challenges of the 21st century

Religious groups are an under-used health resource that could help achieve universal healthcare and accelerate the medical response to disease outbreaks, health experts said yesterday.

Faith-based organisations such as the Islamic Relief or the Salvation Army are the only health providers in some regions and the medical community should build on their experience, reach and influence to save lives, a study published in the Lancet medical journal said.

A member of the clergy reading from the Bible to Ebola patients in the recovery wing of the Hastings Ebola treatment centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in December. Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters

“Religious groups are major players in the delivery of healthcare, particularly in hard-to-reach and rural areas that are not adequately served by government,” Edward Mills, the author of the study and a senior epidemiologist at Global Evaluative Sciences in Canada, said in a statement.

During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, faith groups were key mediators, persuading communities to drop their custom of embracing the dead, and providing vital medical services and support.

In Sierra Leone, Muslim and Christian leaders led the United Nations children’s agency (Unicef) campaign which increased immunisation rates in children to 75 per cent from six per cent.

“It is time for the general medical community to recognise the magnitude of services offered [by faith-based groups] and partner or support [them] to provide long-standing improvements in health,” Mills said.

Faith-based groups already provide immunisation, anti-malaria campaigns, maternal health and HIV services, especially in countries with weak public health systems, the study said.

World leaders are due to adopt new development targets, such as ending poverty, reducing child mortality and tackling climate change later this year to replace eight expiring UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are expected to be adopted at a UN summit in September.

Avalanche victims in Afghanistan receiving relief goods in Panjshir province. Photo: Omar Sobhani/Reuters

Protecting life and dignity

Islamic Relief has been responding to emergencies for three decades, providing a lifeline for vulnerable communities affected by disaster and poverty. They continue to increase the work they do to protect those living in high-risk areas, with a focus on innovative disaster-risk reduction and climate-change adaptation.