Health in Sierra Leone

Last updated

In terms of available healthcare and health status Sierra Leone is rated very poorly. Globally, infant and maternal mortality rates remain among the highest. [1] The major causes of illness within the country are preventable with modern technology and medical advances. Most deaths within the country are attributed to nutritional deficiencies, lack of access to clean water, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, anemia, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Contents

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative [2] finds that Sierra Leone is fulfilling 62.1% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. [3] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Sierra Leone achieves 76.8% of what is expected based on its current income. [4] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 67.3% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [5] Sierra Leone falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 42.3% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available. [6]

Health status

The 2014 CIA estimated average life expectancy in Sierra Leone was 57.39 years. [7] In 2015, after improvements in health in other poorer countries life expectancy for both men and women was the lowest in the world. [8]

Disability

It is estimated that there are about 450,000 disabled people in Sierra Leone, [9] though number could be under-estimated. [9] Common disabilities in Sierra Leone include blindness, deafness, war wounded, amputees and post-polio syndrome. [9]

Emergency medical response

In 2019, having lacked an organised rapid emergency medical response, the First Responder Coalition of Sierra Leone (FRCSL) was established by five national and international organizations in June to develop emergency first responder programs across Sierra Leone. [10] The founding members of the Coalition were the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, LFR International, the University of Makeni, Holy Spirit Hospital, and Agency for Rural Community Transformation. The establishment of the FRCSL was timely as the 72nd World Health Assembly had declared emergency care systems essential to universal health coverage in May. [11] The Coalition began work in Makeni, training 1,000 community members to be first responders over a two-month period and equipping each with first aid skills and materials. [12]

Endemic diseases

Yellow fever and malaria are endemic to Sierra Leone. [13]

Sierra Leone's entire estimated population of 6.5 million is vulnerable to malaria. [14] Over two million outpatient visits are reported due to malaria annually, of which half are children under five years of age. [14] The 2016 Malaria Indicator Survey demonstrated parasitemia ranges from 6 percent in Western Urban to 58 percent in Koinadugu district, among children 6–59 months of age. [14] Malaria transmission has two peaks, during the rainy season in May and in October/November. Plasmodium falciparum causes the majority of infections. [14]

Maternal and child healthcare

Of the 20 countries with the highest incidence of maternal mortality, 19 of them are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest rates in the world occurring in Sierra Leone. One in seventeen women risks dying during pregnancy or childbirth. [15]

The 2015 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Sierra Leone is 1,360. This is compared with 970 in 2010 and 1032 in 2008. The under 5 mortality rate, per 1,000 births is 198 and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under 5's mortality is 25. In Sierra Leone the number of midwives per 1,000 live births is 1 and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women 1 in 21. [16]

Since the Ebola outbreak of 2014/2015, healthcare facilities have been associated with pain and death. Africans are choosing to reject the safety of hospitals out for any sort of care, especially for childbirth. It is estimated that maternal mortality rates will increase by 74 percent in the coming years. [17] This statistic has been called the "next wave of deaths from Ebola " due to the potential increase in maternal deaths because of the avoidance of hospitals.

Mental health

Mental health care in Sierra Leone is almost non-existent. Many sufferers try to cure themselves with the help of traditional healers. [18] During the Civil War (1991–2002), many soldiers took part in atrocities and many children [19] were forced to fight. This left them traumatised, with an estimated 400,000 people (by 2009) being mentally ill. [20] Thousands of former child soldiers have fallen into substance abuse as they try to blunt their memories. [21] There is one primitive psychiatric facility in Sierra Leone. [22]

A situation map of the Ebola outbreak as of 8 August 2014. Guinea Liberia Sierra Leone Ebola Map August 8 2014.jpg
A situation map of the Ebola outbreak as of 8 August 2014.

Infectious diseases

Sierra Leone suffers from epidemic outbreaks of diseases including cholera, Lassa fever, and meningitis. [13]

HIV/AIDS

Sierra Leone has a prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the population of 1.6 percent. [23]

Ebola

In 2014 there was an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. As of August 4, 2014, there had been 691 cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone and 286 deaths. [24]

Health conditions and human rights in Sierra Leone

HIV/AIDS

Discrimination based on HIV status is illegal, but HIV-positive people are highly stigmatized, with HIV-positive children being denied schooling, adults denied jobs, and abandonment by families common. Persons with HIV are often driven to suicide. [22]

Leading causes of death

The leading 10 causes of death in Sierra Leone are: [25]

  1. Malaria
  2. Lower respiratory infections
  3. Neonatal disorders
  4. Diarrheal diseases
  5. Ischemic heart disease
  6. Tuberculosis
  7. Stroke
  8. Congenital defects
  9. HIV/AIDS
  10. Meningitis

Water supply and sanitation

A 2006 national survey found that 84% of the urban population and 32% of the rural population had access to an improved water source. Those with access in rural areas were served almost exclusively by protected wells. The 68% of the rural population without access to an improved water source relied on surface water (50%), unprotected wells (9%) and unprotected springs (9%). [26] [27]

20% of the urban population and 1% of the rural population had access to piped drinking water in their home. [26] [27]

Access to an improved water source does not give an indication about whether water supply is continuous. [26] [27] For example, in Freetown taps were running dry for most of the year in 2009. People collected water in containers wherever they can and those who can afford it install water tanks on their houses. Even the fire brigade used its trucks to sell drinking water. There were fights between firefighters and employees of the Guma Water Company, responsible for water supply in Freetown, sometimes resulting in deaths. [28]

Related Research Articles

Health in Iraq refers to the country's public healthcare system and the overall health of the country's population. Iraq belongs to WHO health region Eastern Mediterranean and classified as upper middle according to World Bank income classification 2013. The state of health in Iraq has fluctuated during its turbulent recent history and specially during the last 4 decade. The country had one of the highest medical standards in the region during the period of 1980s and up until 1991, the annual total health budget was about $450 million in average. The 1991 Gulf War incurred Iraq's major infrastructures a huge damage. This includes health care system, sanitation, transport, water and electricity supplies. UN economic sanctions aggravated the process of deterioration. The annual total health budget for the country, a decade after the sanctions had fallen to $22 million which is barely 5% of what it was in 1980s. During its last decade, the regime of Saddam Hussein cut public health funding by 90 percent, contributing to a substantial deterioration in health care. During that period, maternal mortality increased nearly threefold, and the salaries of medical personnel decreased drastically. Medical facilities, which in 1980 were among the best in the Middle East, deteriorated. Conditions were especially serious in the south, where malnutrition and water-borne diseases became common in the 1990s. Health indicators deteriorated during the 1990s. In the late 1990s, Iraq's infant mortality rates more than doubled. Because treatment and diagnosis of cancer and diabetes decreased in the 1990s, complications and deaths resulting from those diseases increased drastically in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Health in Ghana

In precolonial Ghana, infectious diseases were the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The modern history of health in Ghana was heavily influenced by international actors such as Christian missionaries, European colonists, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. In addition, the democratic shift in Ghana spurred healthcare reforms in an attempt to address the presence of infectious and noncommunicable diseases eventually resulting in the formation of the National Health insurance Scheme in place today.

Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Overview of the health system of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Health problems have been a long-standing issue limiting development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The current population of Myanmar is 54.05 million. It was 27.27 million in 1970. The general state of healthcare in Myanmar is poor. The military government of 1962-2011 spent anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on healthcare. Healthcare in Myanmar is consistently ranked among the lowest in the world. In 2015, in congruence with a new democratic government, a series of healthcare reforms were enacted. In 2017, the reformed government spent 5.2% of GDP on healthcare expenditures. Health indicators have begun to improve as spending continues to increase. Patients continue to pay the majority of healthcare costs out of pocket. Although, out of pocket costs were reduced from 85% to 62% from 2014 to 2015. They continue to drop annually. The global average of healthcare costs paid out of pocket is 32%. Both public and private hospitals are understaffed due to a national shortage of doctors and nurses. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. WHO consistently ranks Myanmar among the worst nations in healthcare.

Health in Angola Overview of the health system of Angola

Health in Angola is rated among the worst in the world.

Benin faces a number of population health challenges. Apart from modern medicine, traditional medicine plays a big role too.

Health in the Central African Republic

Health in the Central African Republic has been degraded by years of internal conflict and economic turmoil since independence from France in 1960. One sixth of its population is in need of acute medical care. Endemic diseases also put a hide demand on the health infrastructure, which requires outside assistance to sustain itself.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the Ivory Coast is fulfilling 55.8% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, the Ivory Coast achieves 78.5% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 62.1% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. The Ivory Coast falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 26.7% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

Health in Equatorial Guinea.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Gabon is fulfilling 62.2% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Gabon achieves 84.7% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 78.1% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Gabon falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 23.9% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

Health in South Africa Brief overview of aspects of health in South Africa

Health in South Africa touches on various aspects of health including the infectious diseases, Nutrition, Mental Health and Maternal care.

Malawi ranks 170th out of 174 in the World Health Organization lifespan tables; 88% of the population live on less than £2.40 per day; and 50% are below the poverty line.

Health in Guinea

Guinea faces a number of ongoing health challenges.

The WHO's estimate of life expectancy for a female child born in Guinea-Bissau in 2008 was 49 years, and 47 years for a boy. in 2016 life expectancy had improved to 58 for men and 61 for women.

Health in Mozambique

Health in Mozambique has a complex history, influenced by the social, economic, and political changes that the country has experienced. Before the Mozambican Civil War, healthcare was heavily influenced by the Portuguese. After the civil war, the conflict affected the country's health status and ability to provide services to its people, breeding the host of health challenges the country faces in present day.

Health in Rwanda

The quality of health in Rwanda has historically been very low, both before and immediately after the 1994 genocide. In 1998, more than one in five children died before their fifth birthday, often from malaria. But in recent years Rwanda has seen improvement on a number of key health indicators. Between 2005 and 2013, life expectancy increased from 55.2 to 64.0, under-5 mortality decreased from 106.4 to 52.0 per 1,000 live births, and incidence of tuberculosis has dropped from 101 to 69 per 100,000 people. The country's progress in healthcare has been cited by the international media and charities. The Atlantic devoted an article to "Rwanda's Historic Health Recovery". Partners In Health described the health gains "among the most dramatic the world has seen in the last 50 years".

Health in Papua New Guinea

Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea (PNG) at birth was 64 years for men in 2016 and 68 for women.

Health in Senegal

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Senegal is fulfilling 73.6% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Senegal achieves 92.1% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 89.5% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Senegal falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 39.2% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

`Zimbabwe is a country that has been fighting against many diseases and their healthcare system has improved. They have been able to fight against strong epidemic diseases. The BBC reported in 2022 that "public health facilities in Zimbabwe were once envied by other sub-Saharan African countries. But they disintegrated due to decades of under-investment"

Health in Albania

Life expectancy in Albania was estimated at 77.59 years, in 2014, ranking 51st in the world, and outperforming a number of European Union countries, such as Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. In 2016 it was 74 for men and 79 for women. The most common causes of death are circulatory diseases followed by cancerous illnesses. Demographic and Health Surveys completed a survey in April 2009, detailing various health statistics in Albania, including male circumcision, abortion and more.

References

  1. ↑ "Sierra Leone country profile - BBC News". Bbc.com. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  2. ↑ "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  3. ↑ "Sierra Leone - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  4. ↑ "Sierra Leone - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  5. ↑ "Sierra Leone - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  6. ↑ "Sierra Leone - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  7. ↑ "CIA - The World Factbook Life Expectancy". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  8. ↑ "UN: Life expectancy worldwide has increased by 5 years". Calgary Herald. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Government discussion turns to issues of the disabled in Sierra Leone Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine . Jhr.ca. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  10. ↑ "Makeni: Coalition of First Responders formed". The Patriotic Vanguard. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  11. ↑ "World Health Assembly Update, 25 May 2019". www.who.int. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  12. ↑ Thomas, Abdul Rashid (2019-07-05). "Sierra Leone's road accident First Responder Coalition to save thousands of lives" . Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  13. 1 2 "The Primary Health Care Hand Book Policing". Ministry of Health & Sanitation. 2007-05-25. Archived from the original (doc) on 2008-02-17. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Sierra Leone" (PDF). President's Malaria Initiative. 2018.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  15. ↑ "Making Strides to Improve Maternal Health in Sierra Leone". UNICEF. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "The State Of The World's Midwifery". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  17. ↑ Theuring, Stefanie; Koroma, Alimamy Philip; Harms, Gundel (2018). "In the Hospital, There Will Be Nobody to Pamper Me': a Qualitative Assessment on Barriers to Facility-Based Delivery in Post- Ebola Sierra Leone". Reproductive Health. BioMed Central. 15 (1): 155. doi:10.1186/s12978-018-0601-9. PMC   6139160 . PMID   30219070.
  18. ↑ "Unreported World 2009 series, ep.4: Sierra Leone: Insanity of War". Channel4.com. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Innocence Lost, Radio Netherlands Archives, February 16, 2000
  20. ↑ Scarred souls, Radio Netherlands Archives, March 8, 2000
  21. ↑ Lisk, Radcliffe (2007). "Sierra Leone". Practical Neurology. 7 (3): 198–201. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.120089. PMID   17515600.
  22. 1 2 "2010 Human Rights Report: Sierra Leone". US State Department. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ "2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic". UNAIDS. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  24. ↑ "Ebola virus disease, West Africa – update 6 August 2014". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "CDC Global Health - Sierra Leone". www.cdc.gov. 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
  26. 1 2 3 "Estimates for the use of Improved Drinking-Water Sources" (PDF). Sierra Leone: WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2011.
  27. 1 2 3 Pushak, Nataliya; Foster, Vivien (June 2011). "Sierra Leone's Infrastructure. A Continental Perspective" (PDF). Policy Research Working Paper 571. World Bank. pp. 31–35. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  28. ↑ Roland Marke:Water Crisis Threatens Survival in Freetown, Op-Ed in Worldpress.org, June 14, 2009
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.