Sub-Saharan Africa

33 of the world's least developed countries are in Africa, including 8 of the 10 poorest countries. A lack of capacity in human resources, high economic vulnerability and low income contribute to endemic poverty across the continent. These vulnerabilities are compounded by weak health systems, as a high disease burden and disability affected life years prevent populations' progression out of poverty. Particular challenges to achieving better health outcomes include fragile health services, human resource shortages and inequalities in access to health service provision.

Whilst infectious diseases remain a priority, with HIV/AIDS remaining the leading cause of adult death in Africa, a recent increase in non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes and hypertension, means that the region suffers from a double disease burden. 

West Africa

The health statistics for West Africa reveal a critically low level of medical care. Life expectancy ranges from 39 to 57 years. The proportion of children dying before the age of five in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia ranges between 11.3% and 29.6%. The shortage of all healthcare workers in these countries is acute, and the number of qualified doctors per 100,000 of the population ranges between 3 and 28. Compared with figures of 256 and 230 per 100,000 of the population in the USA and UK respectively, the need for more qualified doctors is apparent.

Such considerations prompted the governments of these countries to address the acute shortage of doctors by establishing several new medical schools. Graduates from these institutions now struggle to obtain postgraduate training in the medical specialties, experience of undertaking high quality research, and the support they need to become good teachers themselves for the doctors of tomorrow.

The West African College of Physicians aims to tackles the problems faced by graduates in the sub-region, and has called on the experience of the RCP on medical education to support them. For more information on our collaborative programme on health system strengthening through partnership, please click here.