Africa is vast and it’s filled with thousands of ethnicities that contribute to the continent’s interesting but beautiful complexity. Although 55 member states have united to f
orm the Africa Union, this continent still remains fractured where public health is concerned.
According to an IFC report, Health care in Sub-Saharan Africa remains the worst in the world. The shocking statistics of how few countries in this region are able to spend $34 to $40 a year per person, which the World Health Organization considers the minimum for basic health care, reveal how damaged the public health sector is in Africa.
An article published by Obinna O Oleribe and his colleagues in 2019 discussed the key challenges facing healthcare systems in Africa. Their research showed that many of the health care networks or infrastructures suffered from neglect and underfunding.
The lack of financial support in many of the African countries has led to a devastating brain drain. Medical professionals are migrating to countries where their highly sought-after skills are generously paid for compared to their country of birth.
With the average surgeons in New Jersey earning $216,000 annually, while their counterparts in Zambia and Kenya make $24,000 and $6000 per annum, it’s not hard to see why the brain drain has gone up by 27.1% from the year 2005.
These statistics are an indicator that there is a gap in the African public health sector, and that it needs to be filled. As dire as the situation may be, the recent surge in investments towards essential or emergency services brought on by COVID 19 has shown that growth in this sector throughout Africa will continue on the upward trend.
Public health in Africa has its complexities but the solution-oriented individuals within this sector are paving a way for provision of proper healthcare to millions of people on this continent.
One Comment
goedkoopste meubels
thanks, very interesting 🙂