Michael Ham

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Sub-Saharan Africa, like it sounds, is the populated area of the African continent that falls below the Saharan Desert.

It is home to many different cultures with differing view points, and is a hot bed of political violence; in our course, we referred to the nations that make us this area as “Artificial Nations,” because of their arbitrary and often disputed territories.

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The region has 11 percent of the world’s population but carries 24 percent of the global disease burden. With less than 1 percent of global health expenditure and only 3 percent of the world’s health workers, Africa accounts for almost half the world’s deaths of children under five, has the highest maternal mortality rate, and bears a heavy toll from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Poverty, lack of education and infrastructure have created a society in which it is hard to administer modern healthcare

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Millions of men, women, and children die annually in Africa from diseases and conditions that are preventable.

In sub-Saharan Africa, there are approximately 2.5 healthcare workers to every 1000 native Africans.

Diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and typhoid are spread due to lack of availability of the necessary equipment and medicines to prevent their spread.

Issues associated with the broken healthcare systems are hard to fix, and are deeply rooted in African culture and history.

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Regional conflicts have roots in the onset of artificial nations, who have been dealing with international cultural issues since the end of European Imperialism in Africa.

Along with Africa’s challenging terrains, the boundaries created by differing cultures and even international borders that cannot be crossed for fear of harm, kidnapping, rape, and murder make traveling to healthcare a problem for many natives.

Regional conflicts have misplaced over 9 million refugees, creating a poor, moving population, that is unable to access healthcare.

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Because of the way in which many African colonies were treated under European Colonization, there is a strong residual culture of poverty.

Individuals have very little access to education, and because of the lack of industrialization in these nations, there is very little infrastructure, adding to the difficulty of travel.

The lack of infrastructure also creates a problem with the advent of urbanization, which has created large population centers, which lack sewers and clean water, making it easier for disease to spread.

Many out-tribes still stick heavily to their native traditions, and do not believe in Western Medicine

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Education programs are already underway in which vans and busses travel around rural Africa to distribute vaccines, and educate the public on disease and medicine. However, this still has trouble reaching out-lying tribes and villages.

The US has a major force, and quite a great deal of money involved in programs aimed at education as well as direct funding of healthcare programs. Over the past 20 years, the US has pumped over $50million into healthcare programs that educate the public, distribute healthcare products like Mosquito nets and vaccines, and pay healthcare workers.

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Those interested in healthcare careers can help directly by moving to nations in sub-Saharan Africa, and working in clinics there opposed to high paying American medical jobs.

Those of us who are not so inclined, or trained can volunteer to help with public education, almost like secular mission work, through organizations like the Red Cross.

There are many programs that already exist, and which need financial support to continue their efforts. Anyone can donate, regardless of their personal involvement in the medical field, which opens this opportunity for those seeking to help but in a less than “hands on” position.

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The Red Cross

The Global Health CenterAid for AfricaDoctors without BordersThe World Health

Organization

There are countless programs involved in the fight for improved African healthcare. The organizations I have listed above include government programs, and many non-profits that can use volunteers, as well as funding, to help improve the healthcare available in this region of the world.

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"Community Health." Medical Missions. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013

"AfroCentral : Health Care and Health Issues in Black Africa." The Afro Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013.

Kabiru, Caroline W. "The Health and Wellbeing of Young People in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Under-researched Area?" BMC International Health and Human Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013.