Health in Africa: ...and get back to basics

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7521.905-a

BMJ 2005;331:905 (15 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7521.905-a

Letter

Health in Africa

...and get back to basics

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—More of the same will not ease Africa's healthcrisis.¹ As an African with training and work experience ininternational health, I think that we need to go back to basics.

Reducing poverty may be a starting point. However, when it comesto rational use of the meagre monetary resources in sub-SaharanAfrica, inefficient management of resources and corruption becomeserious stumbling blocks. Granted that corruption is almostworldwide, its rampant nature in Africa causes problems withmonies available, received, and disbursed by the appropriateagencies in some countries.²

As to efficient use of meagre resources, some countries outsideAfrica (for example, Jamaica) that are in the same developmentalbracket as some African countries do far better with less.³The general determinants of the health of populations show thatan efficient, robust, and performing health services organisationis basic to the health of nations.⁴ Human capacity building,as . . . [Full text of this article]

Albert M E Coleman, associate specialist psychiatrist

Greenacres Community Mental Health Trust, Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2DH albert.coleman@gmail.com

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