More than 400 million people around the world don’t have
access to essential health services, and many of them are in sub-Saharan
Africa, where the resources are most needed. Sub-Saharan Africa, bears 25 percent of the
world’s disease burden but is home to just 3 percent of its doctors.
“Needless to say, poverty is a factor here,” says the report
from the United Nations and the World Bank.
Even within countries, more than 80 percent of women in the
richest households have coverage while just 50 percent do in low-income
families. While this has always been an issue, it was recently thrust into the
limelight during the West African Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000
people.
“Generally speaking, these problems are perceived as a
steady rumble of dysfunction and discontent, but from time to time there is a
spike in awareness regarding health system inadequacy,” the report reads. “The
recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a case in point, the severity of the
outbreak being in large part due to weak health systems, including a lack of
capacity in surveillance and response.” Because of Ebola, basic services such
treatment for common conditions, vaccinations and maternal health are at
serious risk, and officials need to enact serious reforms to make this happen.
But while the Ebola virus captured international attention
and sent medical researchers scrambling to find a cure, sub-Saharan Africa is
also home a many diseases not experienced anywhere else that still don’t get
attention. A subset of illnesses known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
also continue to be overlooked, mainly for economic reasons. They are only a
serious problem in some of the world’s poorest populations in tropical and
subtropical regions.
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