World Bank assesses health sector in Algeria

World Bank assesses health sector in Algeria

Insufficient and inequality of healthcare access for Algerians

El Khabar, 11 february 2008

A report released by the World Bank, has indicated that Algeria has not achieved the objectives scheduled by the United Nations, while facing the diseases existing in both poor and rich countries, adding that the inefficiency of the health public sector has contributed to private sector development.
The report entitled “Developing the efficiency of healthcare expenditures,” noticed that the number of specialist practitioners who have moved from the public to private sector, is exceeding 110%, during a decade. So the number of specialist practitioners working in the private sector is estimated at more than 15 thousand, this number has not exceeded 7240, in 1991.
According to the same report, 44% of specialist practitioners, and 34% of general practitioners, are working in the private sector; this rate is likely to raise, this could have bad consequences on the public health sector now suffering from many loopholes, saying that Algeria has devoted huge amounts for the generalization of healthcare services, the existing medical centres are covering 98% of the country, but the services still inefficient and insufficient.
Healthcare access in the country side areas is insufficient, because of the lack of medical apparatus, medicines, employees, and specialist practitioners; this situation is epitomized in the southern provinces, added the report.
Also, the inequality indicators existing among the employees of the sector, estimated at 0.18% practitioner for 1000 people living in south-western areas, while this rate is estimated at 1.52, in the centre, the practitioners are quiet refusing working in the rural areas.

11-02-2008
By Hafid Soualili / Translation Section