The accepted
wisdom in São Tomé and Principe is that the health
of the population is good relative to sub Saharan
counterparts.
The economic crisis since the
mid 1980s has seen a downsizing allocation to the
health sector.
The three most important
causes of death in the country are malaria, acute
diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory diseases,
especially affecting the young. There has been a
virulent resurgence of malaria after a large drainage
and spraying campaign, funded by the World Bank, came
to a halt.
Between 1990 and 1994 under 5
mortality accounted for more than half of the total
death toll.
Malnutrition still causes
death, and there are relatively high rates of Goitre
(lack of iodine) and Anaemia (lack of iron).
By law all salt in the
islands now has to be iodised, as an effort to tackle
the level of Goitre.
Vaccination coverage rates
remain high, although some, notably for measles, are
dropping.
São Tome and Principe had a
cumulative total of 50 AIDS cases reported before
1998.
Contraception use has
increased from 12% in 1992 to 15.5% in 1997.
The Central Hospital is
divided between two branches, in two different
districts, there are four district hospitals and 26
local health centres. Most people live close to at
least basic health facilities, and efforts are being
made to improve access to, and the quality of, basic
health services at the local level, under the Bamako
Initiative.
There are problems relating
to health personnel in terms of low numbers of
qualified people, especially at the management level,
and low pay.
With less then a quarter of
the population having access to drinking water and
sewage systems, the sanitation of the country remains
a cause of ill health.
in history 