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Angola

Healthcare situation

More than three fourths of Angolans live in precarious conditions in the slums of the Capital, Luanda, and of the other urban centers, with 60% living on less than 2 USD per day, while access to basic social services, particularly those related to healthcare, is very limited. Despite a per-capita expenditure of 70 USD on healthcare, much higher than the average for African countries, the quality of the healthcare system is often poorer.
Life expectancy is 48 years and child mortality, despite a gradual reduction in recent years, is amongst the highest of the continent. 170 children out of 1,000 die before the age of five, often due to preventable diseases such as measles, tetanus and cholera, whose infection is favored by a very low immunization coverage rate (it is estimated that only 1 of out every 3 children receives all routine vaccinations).

The main health problems include malaria as well as gastro-enteric and infectious diseases, such as polio. With respect to the latter, a resurgence of the virus - with epicenter in Luanda and subsequent expansion to other provinces and neighboring Countries, including the Republic of Congo - has been reported since 2005, following 3 consecutive years with a total absence of cases. 

The healthcare situation is aggravated by malnutrition which, despite a steady decline, affects almost 1 of out every 2 children in a more or less severe manner and is the primary cause associated with child death. As in most developing Countries, the prospects for the wellbeing and development for children largely depend on the health and education levels of their mothers, which are highly critical in Angola. High levels of fertility are often accompanied by an early average age for the first pregnancy, which in 70% of cases occurs during adolescence, thereby increasing the risk of complications, infections and even death during birth. The maternal mortality rate, equal to 1,400 out of 100,000 births in 2001, is currently 660 out of 100,000 births, but progress is slow, also because births assisted by qualified personnel do not exceed 47%, with even lower levels in rural areas. The lack of specialized facilities is generally widespread, starting from the Capital, as is the scarcity of basic prenatal medical services capable of providing counseling and assistance on AIDS, nutrition, hygienic practices and prevention of malaria, which is a major cause of anemia amongst pregnant women and one of the main causes of maternal and child mortality.

In 2010, the Government of Luanda launched a project to strengthen the Country’s healthcare services, with priority given to child health and the fight against transmissible diseases. The construction of new healthcare facilities, including large-sized hospitals in the Capital and in a number of provinces, has not produced so far an improvement in the quality of services. Many of the new facilities are not, in fact, operational due to a lack of electricity, water, access roads and personnel. The dramatic shortage of qualified personnel is another particularly critical aspect and only recently, thanks also to the support of the United Nations, the strengthening of university training courses was launched by creating new training schools in the field of healthcare.

 

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