A feasibility study made by Rare Gem Medical Services,
shows that Africa may be the most underdeveloped and poorest continent in the
world, but with the help of both public and private donors, domestically as
well as internationally, more money than ever before is being poured into the
healthcare system in an attempt to reduce and even prevent deaths from diseases
and conditions that pose little problem in the first world.
Despite this, the healthcare system throughout Africa is
continuing to decline at a steady rate, and with the exception of a small
number of selected cities which have been the recipients of state of the art
technology-based studies, the industry is showing no signs of imminent
improvement. So why is healthcare continuing to decline in spite of improved
financial efforts? Unfortunately, no matter how much money is donated to the
cause, it will be ineffective until certain aspects of the existing medical
system are improved.
Corruption
Corruption in terms of healthcare in Africa comes in
many forms, but the most obvious is the deceit by local governments and leaders
who put their own interests before that of their communities. Sadly, with money
being scarce throughout the continent, any funds are commonly seen as a
free-for-all by shady governments, with little regard for the intended purpose.
‘Extra’ funds designated for the healthcare pool are
often given as bonuses and pay rises to leaders and their political colleagues,
as well as being used for arguably unnecessary supplies and resources as well
as military equipment, rather than being put towards civic expenses.
International developmental aid is failing in Africa because the funds never
reach their intended destination. This bad reputation is leading to fewer
private donors, even though moving from public donors to exclusively private
donors could help cut governmental corruption rates.
Cost
Recent developments have seen a number of essential
treatments and care become free in many African countries, including antenatal
care and tuberculosis medication, and yet a large percentage of the African
population are still unable to afford these free treatments. How is this
possible? It all comes down to further corruption and associated costs. Hospitals
and medical centres in Africa are rare, especially those equipped with the
necessary machinery and drugs. Building these clinics amongst dense populations
allows them to treat larger quantities of patients. Unfortunately, this means
that those living in more rural and isolated areas have fallen victim to the
infamous ‘postcode lottery’. While these populations are still eligible for
free treatments, it is estimated that transportation costs to hospitals are
equal to roughly 10% of the average household income which proves just too
costly for many.
Furthermore, in order to gain a little extra income,
some medical professionals are secretly charging for free treatments.
Corruption is not confined solely to the government. This leaves patients with
fewer funds for other essential treatments that are not available for free in
Africa.
Environment
Due to poverty, the environment in many African
countries just isn’t capable of providing good quality healthcare facilities.
Funding which does reach the healthcare system is being used on the wrong
things. Rather than going on essentials, hospitals are being equipped with
machinery that is nice to have, but not vital and not what the average patient
requires. Even those hospitals that do have necessary equipment are
lacking due to three major factors; electricity, maintenance and training.
In big cities, electricity supply is somewhat turbulent and
unstable to say the least, and in smaller towns it’s in some cases its
completely non-existent. Even the best medical machinery on the market is
useless in times of power outages. When the power is working, there are still
problems. Limited training opportunities throughout Africa mean that there are
very few qualified to either use or maintain the equipment properly. It is
therefore not surprising when the citizens of many African countries engage the
services of Rare Gem Medical Services to source for competitive and an
efficient medical service for their health.
Access to drugs
Even if a great deal of effort is put into improving the
healthcare system, it’s simply not going to be effective unless the drug access
problem is addressed and rectified. In such poverty-stricken conditions, money
is everything, and there’s a lot of money to be made in either selling fake
drugs to hospitals or selling stolen drugs on the black market.
Even if hospitals do manage to secure legitimate
medications, with a severe lack in patients that can either afford treatment or
afford to travel for treatment, many drugs are being underutilised. This is leading
to huge amounts of drugs that have passed their expiration date, and yet with
the high cost of new medications, many hospitals are continuing to use out of
date pills. The expiration is there for a reason; the drugs are simply not as
effective after this time, and could even be dangerous.
‘Russian Roulette’
The African healthcare system has been described as a
kind of Russian Roulette, with distance and Doctors dictating who lives and who
dies, and to those in first world countries this is unfathomable. Yet despite
best efforts, the system is failing to improve. In fact, many African leaders
are travelling abroad for medical treatment, showing they have neither the
confidence in their own healthcare nor the incentive to rally for better
treatment. It’s almost as if the governments don’t want the assistance, even
though the lives of millions could be improved by changes in the way funding
and aid is handled domestically.
