Health in Burundi

Burundi is one of the poor African countries with heavy burden of both communicable, maternal, neonatal, nutritional, and non-communicable diseases. The burden of communicable diseases generally outweighs the burden of other diseases.[1] Mothers and children are among those most vulnerable to this burden.

Improving health in Burundi.

Civilians in Burundi have lived through years of conflict due to the civil war, leaving many civilians facing economic crisis. The government has had limited capacity to invest in the health system, so the health infrastructure is poor.[2]

The link between health and poverty is undeniable. Many of Burundians do not have access to primary health care.[2] Yet the Human Rights Measurement Initiative[3] finds that Burundi is fulfilling what it should be for the right to health based on income levels.[4]

Burundi had the lowest consumption of antibiotics of any country in the world in 2015 with a rate of 4.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day.[5]

Health status

As of 2019, the average life expectancy in Burundi is estimated at 62 years, up from 49 years in 2000.[6]

Life expectancy in Burundi[7]
1 Low life expectancy About 62 years
2 Food insecurity Lack of proper nutrition
3 Long term effects of malnutrition on children Underweight children
4 Low sources   The population expected to double in 2050
5 Low reproductive health services Lack of contraceptives, no family planning program
6 Poverty Vast majority of people live on less than $3.10 per day
7 HIV/AIDS 84000 of people were living with this disease in 2016, most of them are sex workers and men who have sex with men, increased condom uses and antiretroviral therapy
8 Other infectious diseases   Malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, measles
9 Environmental issues Floods, droughts, landslides
10 Life expectancy is increasing However, it is increasing, this is lower than other countries like USA

Disability adjusted life years (DALYs)

As of 2019, the top five causes of DALYs per 100,000 population in Burundi for both sexes, all ages, were maternal and neonatal diseases, respiratory infections and tuberculosis, enteric infections, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria, and "other non-communicable" diseases.[1]

Child mortality (under 5 years)

The under-5 mortality rate in Burundi is 1.6 times higher than that WHO has estimated for African region. As this list illustrates maternal and neonatal disorders are the first causes of DALYs but the deaths rate of that decreased from 100 deaths per 1000 live birth by the year 1996 to 80 deaths in 2016.[8]

These deaths have various causes but they have not been measured directly about each age group and gender, while a research has shown that there are 3 main reasons for under 5 years children hospitalization. About 93% of all 1 to 59 months old children hospitalized were hospitalized due to malaria, lung disease, or acute diarrhea. The malaria ratio was about 63%; this is why malaria is the main cause of death and hospitalization among under five children in Burundi.[8]

Various causes are playing a role in reducing under-5 mortality rate. The government implemented a pilot program to increase deliveries in hospitals and reclaim the quality of antenatal care. Experienced nurses and skilled birth attendants can prevent maternal and neonatal deaths. Between the years 2004 and 2008 the proportion of children who delivered in health facilities by qualified staffs increased from 76% to 94%.[8]

Health policies

Abortion

Abortion in Burundi is only legal if the abortion will save the woman's life or if the pregnancy gravely endangers the woman's physical, or potentially mental, health. In Burundi, two certified physicians must agree that the pregnancy is threatened before providing medical assistance. Even in cases in which a practitioner has deemed that the pregnancy has endangered the woman, both the physician and woman may be subject to prison time and fines.[9]

Hospitals

There are 3 regional hospitals, 15 provincial hospitals, 33 district hospitals, and 509 health centers in Burundi.[10][11] Notable hospitals include:

  • Bumerec Hospital[12]
  • Bururi Hospital in Bururi Province[13]
  • Clinic Prince Louis Rwagasore[12]
  • Gitega Hospital (Gitega province, central Burundi)[13]
  • Karuzi Hospital[13]
  • KIRA Hospital[12]
  • Matana Hospitals in Bururi Province[13]
  • Muramvya Hospital (Muramvya province, central Burundi)[13]
  • Muyinga Hospital[13]
  • Ngozi Hospital (Ngozi Province, northern Burundi)[13]
  • Polyclinic Central[12]
  • Prince Louis Rwagasore Clinic in Bujumbura[13]
  • Prince Regent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura, established in 1949[13]
  • Roi Khaled Hospital (the Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Kamenge) in Bujumbura[13][12]
  • Rumonge in Bururi Province[13]

See also

References
  1. "GBD Compare | IHME Viz Hub". vizhub.healthdata.org. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  2. Philips, M.; Ooms, G.; Hargreaves, S.; Durrant, A. (2004). "Burundi: a population deprived of basic health care". The British Journal of General Practice. 54 (505): 634–635. PMC 1324857. PMID 15517690.
  3. "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  4. "Burundi – HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  5. "UK antibiotic consumption twice that of the Netherlands, WHO report finds". Pharmaceutical Journal. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  6. "Life expectancy at birth, total (years) – Burundi | Data". World Bank. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. Global Health 101. Richard Skolnik.
  8. Imelda K, Moise (2018). "Causes of Morbidity and Mortality among Neonates and Children in Post-Conflict Burundi: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study". Children. 5 (9): 125. doi:10.3390/children5090125. PMC 6162533. PMID 30205549.
  9. Abortion policies: a global review. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Development, United Nations. Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis. Population Division. New York: United Nations. 1992–1995. ISBN 92-1-151246-8. OCLC 26594264.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Burundi Health Indicators" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  11. Elahi, Ebby, ed. (2021). Insights in Global Health, A Compendium of Healthcare Facilities and Nonprofit Organizations. Baca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 9780367693466.
  12. "List of Medical Facilities/practitioners in Burundi". UK Government. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  13. "Detention of Prisoners in Burundian Hospitals". Human Rights Watch. 7 September 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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