The state of maternal health in Africa worries the WHO.
- The health worker to patient ratio in Africa is below the global average.
- About 35% of births in Africa are attended by unskilled midwives.
- This shortage of qualified personnel could worsen as Western countries recruit nurses and nursing assistants to supplement their health needs, from countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.
Health systems in Africa remain weak and lag far behind other regions of the world; If things don’t improve, the continent stands the chance of missing all of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, particularly maternal health, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In a statement, released with the WHO Atlas for Africa 2022 (a report describing the continent’s state of health), the WHO said inadequate investment in health and funding of health programs were some of the main drawbacks. to meet the health SDGs.
“For example, a 2022 WHO survey of 47 African countries found that the region has a ratio of 1.55 health workers [physicians, nurses, and midwives] per 1,000 people, below the WHO density threshold of 4.45 health workers per 1,000 people needed to deliver essential health services and achieve universal health coverage,” the statement read.
Due to the low number of health workers, the Atlas report said that “65% of births are attended by skilled health personnel, the lowest level globally and far from the target of 90% by 2030.”
Things could get worse for Africa with the West hiring nurses and nursing assistants to supplement their health needs in countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.
The continent seeks to reduce neonatal deaths, with mortality rates above the average of 13 deaths per 100,000 live births seen in Europe in 2017 and more than five times the 2030 SDG target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births.
It exceeds the average of 211 for the entire world. At the current rate of decline, Africa will need to reduce its rates by 86% from 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, to meet this SDG target.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said:
It is crucial that governments make a radical change of course, overcome the challenges and accelerate the pace towards the health goals. These goals are not mere milestones, but the very foundations of a healthier life and the well-being of millions of people.
The region’s progress toward important health goals, such as vaccine coverage, is also slowing, but it has made outstanding progress in other areas during the first decade of the 21st century.
All benchmarks have stagnated in the last 10 years, especially maternal mortality.
News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained in this document do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
