We were in a village the other day, assessing the quality of the development efforts that have taken place there in the last few years. It turned out the female Community Health Worker had died two years previously. Her husband, the male CHW was still operating though. He looked dangerous. I asked him a few questions.

‘How do you treat diarrhoea?’

‘Amoxicillin!’

‘What about pneumonia?’

‘Amoxicillin!’

‘And vomiting?’

‘Amoxicillin!’

‘Rii-i-ight. What exactly is the difference between a cough and pneumonia, do you think?’

‘Oh, with pneumonia, you have a cough, fever. You know.’

Confidence and ignorance. A bad combination.