By Rorisang Modiba
- Half of Africa’s hospital patients have chronic diseases but most can’t afford to pay for treatment.
- Foreign donors focus on diseases that could spread to their countries.
Africa’s hospitals could collapse as more people get cancer and diabetes, Dr Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref Health Africa, has warned.
Gitahi says foreign money has for years gone to fighting HIV and TB instead of these newer health threats.
Half of Africa’s hospital patients now have chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes. But eight out of ten patients must pay for treatment themselves, which most cannot afford.
Gitahi points a finger at big companies that put profits first. He also blames governments for not stopping harmful business practices.
He says overseas donors mainly fund diseases that could spread to their own countries. Less than three percent of aid money goes to chronic diseases.
“The world spends money to stop HIV and TB because these diseases can spread across borders,” he said, The Guardian reported.
“But cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure do not spread, so there is little international concern, and African governments struggle to manage them.”
The problem has worsened since the US cut its foreign aid. This affects Amref’s work with mothers and children, HIV programmes, and efforts to improve health systems.
Amref, which gets about R922 million yearly from US partnerships, has already told some workers to take unpaid leave.
Gitahi hopes some programmes will restart after the US government’s 90-day aid review.
But he warns that if African governments and world donors don’t start taking chronic diseases seriously, the crisis will worsen, putting future generations at risk.
Pictured above: Dr Githinji Gitahi.
Image source: Amref Health Africa
