Healthcare For All: One Of The Major Development Goals

The provision of efficient healthcare to all sections of society, and especially to children and women is one of the important and foremost goal of the Millennium Development Goals. Eritrea is one of the countries in the world that are making a commendable stride in this regard. In fact, prior to the UN drafting the Millennium Development Goals, the Eritrean Charter that has been ratified in 1994 has made the provision of healthcare to all sections of society living in urban and rural areas one of its major columns. As it is, a massive investment is being exerted to this end. In this line, after independence, until the year 2010 a staggering total of 13 regional and national referral hospitals, 50 health centers and 112 health stations have been constructed.

Prior of independence, only 40% of Eritreans had an access to a health center within 10 km proximity. But this has been increased to 75%. And an approximate 60% of our population now has an access to healthcare provision within 5 km. It should be noted that national objectives and vision could not be attained through building infrastructure, provision of medical materials and medicine. As it is, the Eritrean government is exerting strenuous efforts in developing a committed human capital.

In this regard, the Government of Eritrea has been investing in developing our human resources in the foundational vocations in health and has successfully trained lots of nurses, assistant nurses, midwifes lab and x-ray technicians, pharmacists as well as community health specialists.  Currently, we have reached the stage of producing Medical Doctors and health specialists.The standard of the World Health Organization dictates that there should be one doctor for every 10,000 people. And Eritrea is one of the nations that are expected to achieve and surpass this ratio within a short period of time.

The ratio of medical doctors to population in 1991 was one to 37,000. But now the ratio is one to 15,000.Our development endeavor will only become realistic with equal distribution of resources.
The endeavor of Eritrea for progress and development is well distributed and is a product of a righteous and upright policy of the Eritrean government. Such a change being registered thanks to the political dedication of the government and the goodwill on part of our healthcare workers will play an important share in ensuring the wellbeing of our society and thereby contributing to our national progress. And this effort shall stand as an example to other developing nations.