As of the end of 2003, the United Nations (UN) reported that 4.4 percent of adults were infected with human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) other estimates of the rate of infection ranged from a low of 7 percent to a high of 18 percent. Health care is disproportionately available in urban centers in rural areas where the vast majority of the population resides, access to health care varies from limited to nonexistent. These ratios have since shown some improvement. Overall, there were 20 trained health providers per 100,000 inhabitants. The physician to population ratio was 1:48,000, the nurse to population ratio, 1:12,000. In 2000 the country counted one hospital bed per 4,900 population and more than 27,000 people per primary health care facility.
In 2000–2001, the budget allocation for the health sector was approximately US$144 million health expenditures per capita were estimated at US$4.50, compared with US$10 on average in sub-Saharan Africa. These expenditures stagnated or declined during the 1998–2000 war with Eritrea, but in the years since, outlays for health have grown steadily. Throughout the 1990s, the government, as part of its reconstruction program, devoted ever-increasing amounts of funding to the social and health sectors, which brought corresponding improvements in school enrollments, adult literacy, and infant mortality rates. This has helped to some small extent even out rural-urban and rich-poor inequity in health. Immunisation and child nutrition has been tackled by working closely with schools in a multi-sectoral approach the number of children vaccinated against measles almost doubled in seven years, from 40.7% to 78.5% and the underweight prevalence among children decreased by 12% in 1995–2002 (severe underweight prevalence by 28%). In 2008 average life expectancy was slightly less than 63 years, according to the WHO. In the decade since 1995, impressive results have been achieved in lowering maternal and child mortality rates and in immunizing children against childhood diseases. The rate of prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome ( HIV/ AIDS), in Eritrea is believed to be at 0.7%(2012)which is reasonably low.
The two-year war with Ethiopia, coming on the heels of a 30-year struggle for independence, negatively affected the health sector and the general welfare. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2004 there were only three physicians per 100,000 people in Eritrea.
In 2001, the most recent year for which figures are available, the Eritrean government spent 5.7 percent of gross domestic product on national health accounts. Health care and welfare resources generally are believed to be poor, although reliable information about conditions is often difficult to obtain. About one-third of the population lives in extreme poverty, and more than half survives on less than US$1 per day. Innovative multi-sectoral approaches to health were also identified with the success. Researchers at the Overseas Development Institute have identified the high prioritisation of health and education both within the government and amongst Eritreans at home and abroad. In this system some people receive healthcare via primary private insurance, while people who are ineligible for it, from government:Įritrea is one of the few countries to be on target to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for health. Russia (funded by federal, regional and municipal budgets and by separate employer's tax payments, but medical aid in state and municipal health establishments in all cases is available for free to all citizens, foreign permanent residents, foreign temporary residents, stateless persons and refugees regardless of their income or employment status)Ĭountries with universal public-private insurance system.India (funded by public and private insurances, along with social insurance programs and free public hospitals funded by the municipal, state and federal authorities).1.5 Countries with non-universal insurance system.1.4 Countries with universal private health insurance system.1.3 Countries with universal public-private insurance system.1.2 Countries with universal public insurance system.1.1 Countries with universal government-funded health system.1 Health care systems classification by country.