Health in the Comoros
 | This article'sfactual accuracymay be compromised due to out-of-date information.(November 2010) |
Health in the Comoroscontinues to facepublic healthproblems characteristic ofdeveloping countries.[1]AfterComoros'sindependencein 1975, the French withdrew their medical teams, leaving the three islands' already rudimentary health care system in a state of severe crisis.[1]French assistance was eventually resumed, and other nations also contributed medical assistance to the young republic.[1]
TheHuman Rights Measurement Initiative[2]finds that Comoros is fulfilling 64.2% 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, Comoros achieves 86.7% 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 84.1% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income.[5]Comoros falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 21.6% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.[6]
Maternal and child health care
[edit]The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for the Comoros is 340. This is compared with 225.3 in 2008 and 449.9 in 1990. The under 5 mortality rate, per 1,000 births is 105 and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under 5's mortality is 35. In the Comoros the number of midwives per 1,000 live births is 9 and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women 1 in 71.[7]
Life expectancy at birth was estimated at fifty-six years in 1990, up from fifty-one years in 1980.[1]The crude birthrate was forty-eight per 1,000 and the crude death rate, twelve per 1,000 according to 1989 statistics.[1]All three of these figures were close to the averages for sub-Saharan Africa.[1]The rate of infant mortality per 1,000 live births was eighty-nine in 1991, down from 113 in 1980.[1]The 1990 average rate for sub-Saharan Africa was 107.[1]
Disease
[edit]Malariawas ubiquitous in the islands, with 80 to 90 percent of the population said to be affected by the disease.[1]Other prevalent maladies includedtuberculosis,leprosy,and parasitic diseases.[1]In 1989 about half of all children one year old or younger had been immunized against tuberculosis,diphtheria,pertussis,tetanus,polio,andmeasles,a proportion roughly comparable to the rate of immunization among other states in sub-Saharan Africa.[1]
Per capita dailycaloric intakein 1988 was 2,046, about average for sub-Saharan Africa but only a little better than 90 percent of daily requirements.[1]Children were most often the victims ofmalnutrition.[1]Their generally poor diets were deficient inproteinin part because local custom discouraged the feeding offishto children.[1]The scarcity ofsafe drinking water—available to about one in three Comorans—made intestinal parasites a problem and compounded malnutrition, with children again being the main victims.[1]
TheWorld Bankestimated that in 1993 the Comoros had onephysicianper 6,582 Comorans, a marked improvement over the ratio of one to 13,810 reported in 1983.[1]Comparable data for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole were not available; however, it appeared that Comorans enjoyed a more favorable ratio than many of their neighbors in East Africa and the Indian Ocean.[1]
Despite improvements in life expectancy, infant mortality, and the number of physicians, the overall quality of care remained poor.[1]About 80 percent of the population lives within one hour's walk of a health facility, usually headed by a trainednurse,but paramedical staff are in short supply and many health facilities are in poor condition.[1]Some international medical aid has been provided, mostly byFranceand theWorld Health Organization(WHO).[1]
Although the Comoros lacks homegrownnarcotics,the islands are used as a transit site for drugs coming mainly fromMadagascar.[1]In view of international concern about drug trafficking, in 1993 France began providing technical expertise in this field to the Comoros.[1]In addition, the World Bank in a 1994 report pointed out the "high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and the low use of condoms" as a significant health threat with regard to the spread ofacquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS), which already affected the islands.[1]However, in the period prior to 1990 and extending through 1992, the WHO reported that the Comoros had a very low incidence of AIDS—a total of three cases with no case reported in 1992, or an overall case rate of 0.1 per 100,000 population.[1]
Healthcare
[edit]In 2006, there were 15 physicians per 100,000 people. Thefertility ratewas 4.7 per adult woman in 2004.Life expectancyat birth is 67 for females and 62 for males.[8]By 2012 the life expectancy at birth was 62 years.[9]
There are two district, two provincial and one regional hospitals in Comoros. These hospitals are supplemented by 52 health posts and 12 health centers.[9]
The hospitals include the following:[10]
- El-Maarouf National Hospital Center,Moroni,Grand Comore,established in 1954[11][12]
- Regional Hospital Foumbouni,Foumbouni,Grand Comore[13]
- Regional Hospital Mitsamiouli,Mitsamiouli,Grand Comore[13]
- Caritas Hospital,Moroni,Grand Comore[12]
- Hospital of Moidja Hamahamet,Mouadja,Grand Comore
- Hospital of Nioumamilima Badjini,Nioumamilima,Grand Comore
- Samba-Kouni Hospital Center,Samba-Kouni,Grand Comore[14]
- Mkazi Health Post,Mkazi,Grand Comore[13]
- Tsinimoichongo Health Post,Tsinimoichongo,Grand Comore[13]
- Hospital Center Ouani,Ouani,Anjouan
- Hospital of Domoni,Domoni,Anjouan
- Mutsamudu Hospital,Mutsamudu,Anjouan[15]
- Regional Hospital Center of Djando,Wanani,Mohéli
- International Hospital,Moroni,Grand Comore
- Nioumachoua Health Center,Nioumachoua,Mohéli[13]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxErcolano, Vincent (1995). "Comoros". InMetz, Helen Chapin(ed.).Indian Ocean: five island countries(3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.:Federal Research Division,Library of Congress.ISBN0-8444-0857-3.OCLC32508646.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^"Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries".humanrightsmeasurement.org.Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^"Comoros - HRMI Rights Tracker".rightstracker.org.Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^"Comoros - HRMI Rights Tracker".rightstracker.org.Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^"Comoros - HRMI Rights Tracker".rightstracker.org.Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^"Comoros - HRMI Rights Tracker".rightstracker.org.Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^"The State Of The World's Midwifery".United Nations Population Fund.RetrievedAugust 1,2011.
- ^"Country Health System Fact Sheet, Comoros"(PDF).World Health Organization. 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 January 2010.Retrieved1 June2010.
- ^ab"Comoros"(PDF).WHO.2014.RetrievedJanuary 8,2021.
- ^Google maps database
- ^"About us, El-Maarouf National Hospital Center".El-Maarouf National Hospital Center(in French).RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^ab"Expansion in Comoros".Australian Doctors for Africa.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^abcde"WHO donates emergency trauma kits to the Ministry of Health in Comoros".WHO Africa.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^"Modern Contraceptives helped me plan my family without side effects better".UN Fund for Population Activities.11 July 2018.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^"Mutsamudu Hospital".Hospitalby.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
