Seychelles’ free healthcare is ranked as one of the best in Africa and this is thanks to the substantial investment by government.

Dr William Muhwava, Zimbabwean health expert who led a World Health Organisation (WHO) study into Seychelles health system, said this when speaking to the Seychelles News Agency.

He added that his study team found out that the Seychelles health system could serve as a model scheme for the continent of Africa whose health sector has been severely strained.

Dr Muhwava noted that governmental investment in healthcare has seen Seychelles make significant gains in health which has seen most communicable and infectious diseases being eradicated.

"Significant steps have been taken in increasing equity to access by making health services free in Seychelles," says Dr Muhwava, a senior medical demographer and consultant on social determinants of health.
 
"The full coverage of health care costs by the government almost completely accounts for income inequalities which would result in health inequalities," writes Dr Muhwava in the 141-page report recently released by WHO's regional office for Africa based in Brazzaville, Congo Republic. 

The report – Social Determinants of Non-Communicable Diseases and Other Public Health Issues in the Seychelles: Evidence and Implications – suggests that Seychelles is on target to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs).

The country has already achieved the ‘MDG on maternal health’ and is on course to meet goal five of halving under-5 mortality rate by 2015. Other MDGs that Seychelles has achieved and formed part of the health study include those on gender parity on primary schooling.

"Seychelles has made enormous gains in health. Communicable diseases have been brought under control," writes the report.

"These have been supported by substantial government investment in the health system and the health delivery network. The investments have narrowed social disparities, particularly in access to health care services by eliminating user fees. This has ensured a high degree of protection of households against the financial risks associated with payments for medical treatment," says the report.
The same study points out that the burden of Seychelles health care system has shifted to non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health.
 
Life expectancy for both males and females in Seychelles is high with non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, asthma and depression being the leading causes of mortality. 
Male life expectancy according to the study is pegged at 68 years while for women it stands at 78 years. 

The report also found out that mortality due to cardio-vascular diseases which is the leading cause of death in the country has declined by 53 percent in men and 26 percent among females as a result of decreasing smoking and alcohol intake. About 20 percent of mortality in Seychelles is credited to cancer which comes second to cardio-vascular related ailments.

Dr Muhwava says Seychelles has a model social safety net that cuts across all social barriers and has cushioned many households from medical care financial risks. 

"Seychelles has successfully addressed some social determinants of health. For example, universal education, less disparity between the rich and poor, low unemployment, gender issues are addressed and initiatives to empower children," said Dr Muhwava.

The report adds that a parallel health structure complements the government health care system which borrows heavily from the United Kingdom model with a three-tier system comprising a central referral hospital which resonates from the main Seychelles Hospital, followed by cottage, rehabilitative, mental and youth hospitals in the second tier and district health centres across the country.

The report’s findings confirm the deductions made by the Commonwealth Health Online (CHO), a health resource that profiles the 53-member states of the Commonwealth.

According to the CHO, Seychelles and Mauritius are “notable exceptions” to much of Africa’s health system which suffers from severe understaffing. Seychelles which has remained in the top-10 of Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) since the year 2000, scored highly on sustainable economic opportunity which looks into infrastructure, business environment and public management.


In 2013 IIAG ranked Seychelles in fourth position out of 52 African nations and first in the health, infrastructure and education categories.
"The coverage of service providers per capita is high in Seychelles, there is approximately one doctor per 780 people and one nurse serves 400 people. Second, there is a multi-sectoral approach to health promotion," Dr Muhwava said.

"Other government ministries have health promotion components which complement the efforts of the Ministry of Health. Ministry of Education provides health education in schools and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports provides health education among the young people and other specific population groups."

The health expert also says that the report benefited largely from Seychelles’ "efficient data collection and management systems" which has been the bane in much of Africa stifling better policy interventions.

Seychelles is ranked first in Africa in the United Nations Human Development Index 2013 and 46th in the world ranking due to its high life expectancy, education, and GNI per capita, according to the United Nations.

Forrás: www.nation.sc