Sierra Leone’s “Health-Break”

By, Rosanna Crocitto

Analysis Question•How does the economic state of a third

world country, such as Sierra Leone, affect individual health and availability for health care?

▫In relation to these economic conditions, a vast majority of disease spreads and an epidemic occurs, such as the current 2014 Ebola Virus outbreak.

Background

•Economic Downturn within Sierra Leone

▫Corruption

▫Still in Civil War Recovery

▫Continuation of High Inflation

Industrialization

▫Trade of diamonds, cocoa,

and coffee

▫Major exporting partners

Belgium, Germany, Great Britain,

and the United States

Gross Domestic Product

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 201602468

10121416

5.4 6

15.213.3 14.1

10.59.2

5.2 4.5 3.7 4.7 4.7 5.1 5.1

Comparison of GDP Annual % Forecast

Sierra LeoneSub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Sierra Leone’s Government debt is 20% of its GDP

National Health Expenditures

•15.1% of total GDP•$4.6 million for humanitarian assistance •$1.2 million among all health causes

Airborne, water, and foodborne disease care and sanitation provisions

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, pandemic, maternal & child health, nutrition, etc.

Poor Health Care Availability

•Limited Health Resources▫Modern Medicine

Foreign aid $13.7 million in 2013▫Hospitals

3 doctors for every 100,000 patients Supplies and accommodations Transportation

▫Education

“Army Standing by the Wall”

•2010 Provision ▫Free Health Care for all

women, and children under the age of 5 An estimated 1,800 out

of every 100,000 women and children die per year

60 58 42 64 80 78

Child vaccina-tion (annual %)

Ebola Virus 2014•“Best preventative is

awareness”

•Training health care workers

•Breaking Quarantine▫Food cutoffs for thousands▫Major increase in food and simple good costs

References • (2008, August 22). Sierra Leone: Minister Says Spread of Illicit Drugs To Affect Health Sector. • World News Connection• Carney, D. (1965). The economics of health in conditions of low population growth. • International Social Science Journal, 17(2), 277-283.• Sierra Leone: Statistics Report Country More Hit by Maternal Deaths in Africa. (2005). World • News Connection• Folland, S., Goodman, A. and Stano, M. (2013). The Economic of Health and Health Care. New • Jersey: Pearson • HealthyPeople.gov • Chambers, Allan. (2005). Canadian Geographic. Healing Journey. Vol. 125 Issue 2, p.87-92.• UNDP. (2012). About Sierra Leone • http://www.sl.undp.org/content/sierraleone/en/home/countryinfo/ • The World Bank. (2014). Data Table: GDP Growth (annual %)• http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG • O’Donnell, Meredith. R. (2011). Freetown. Our World: Sierra Leone, 7• Healey, Christina. (2011). Sierra Leone. Our World: Sierra Leone, 1-6 • Sierra Leone 2014 Country Review. (2014). Sierra Leone Country Review, 1-249• Crompton, J., Kingham, T., Kamara, T., Brennan, M., & Kushner, A. (2010). Comparison of • Surgical Care Deficiencies between US Civil War Hospitals and Present-Day Hospitals in Sierra

Leone. World Journal Of Surgery, 34(8), 1743-1747.