Unhealthy imbalance

The BBC has commented some time ago on a health report released from Geneva. The summary was grim and the details even worse. This report deals with health on a world scale. In the summary it is mentioned that while North and South America suffers only 10% of the world's diseases, it has 50% of the world's health budget and 30% of the health workers. On the other hand, Africa suffers 24% of the world's diseases and has only 1% of the world's health budget and 3% of the world's health workers.

Worldwide, there is an estimated shortage of 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses and support workers, according to the WHO.

For some years now South African doctors have been leaving the country for greener pastures in Canada and the UK. This drain on much needed medical experts is hurting the country. Part of the cause are the conditions in state hospitals that have deteriorated since the change in the political system in 1994. The Minister of Health has introduced a compulsory three year service in state hospitals for medical graduates. Such draconic measures are much despised by especially white graduates. In response, many have left the country and are still oversees.

Organisations such as MSF from France, do a great deal to address the health situation in elsewhere in Africa. But MSF cannot make too much of a dent in the problem, due to the sheer size of the problem. It is a moral dilemma that stands and begs at the door of mankind.