Revising - African Healthcare Industry

Being the world’s second most populous continent, Africa covers 6% of the Earth’s total surface area and 20.4% of its total land area.

Healthcare is one of the basic necessities of life and is critically significant for the human existence. As they say healthy body leads to healthy mind. Healthcare in Africa differs widely, depending on the country and also the region – those living in urban areas are more likely to receive better healthcare services as compared to those in rural or remote regions. Many communities lack clean water and proper sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas.

Therefore, illnesses caused by poor hygiene, such as cholera and diarrhoea, are common in some countries.

An overview

Though being on the way to progress, African healthcare system still has numerous flaws which makes the process of growth and development sluggish. One of the biggest obstacle is recruiting well-qualified staff. Hospitals, clinics and medical institutions in Africa often find it difficult to employ sufficiently trained paramedical staff to cope with the number of people needing care. Many of the African countries train their own medical professionals and practitioners. But despite being trained by their own countries, these professionals prefer to relocate to other countries abroad. Primary reasons behind there relocations are better salary, better work conditions and environment, along with the better facilities, job security and endless growth prospects.