Surgery-related death rate double in Africa compared to global average: Study

NewsBharati 05-Jan-2018

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Cape Town, January 5: Though the world has progressed a lot with time, some regions of the world lacked the momentum in the race. Africa, the continent blessed with natural resources, still faces various serious issues in the health sector. Lack of proper infrastructure leads African patients to death more if compared to global average.

A recent study has shown Surgery death rates in Africa are twice global average. Globally, an average of 1% of patients die after surgery, but researchers say this number rises to 2.1% for patients in Africa. Even if the patients are younger or at lower risk they die sometimes.

“Patients receiving surgery in Africa are younger than the global average, with a lower-risk profile and lower complication rates, and yet are twice as likely to die,” authors of a study published in the Lancet medical journal.

Reasons are various including few specialists, poor hospital infrastructure and a lack of post-operative monitoring. The scenario of human resource is especially very poor. Infection is one of the prime contributors among other post-operative complications. Patients sometimes live in such remote area that they can’t afford follow up care.

The survey was one of the largest ever conducted in Africa. It was funded by the Medical Research Council of South Africa and covered 247 hospitals in 25 countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa.

Africa Health System Surgery Post Operative Complications Post Operative death