Countries in the region are struggling to provide quality healthcare due to a limited number of health specialists.

Uganda’s Minister of State for Health Dr Sarah Opendi said that this has put the East African Community at risk of failing to attain the 2030 global health targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“Our efforts to achieve the SDG 3 on good health and well-being is highly dependent on how we address the existing gap in human resources for health,” said Dr Opendi.

She was speaking when she officially opened the Ministerial Session of the first Extra Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health at the regional bloc’s headquarters in Arusha recently. Uganda currently holds the position of chairperson of the EAC.

Dr Opendi said many hospitals lack skin, cancer, ear and throat and dental specialists as well as surgeons. This, she said has resulted in the poor delivery of essential services including antenatal and postnatal care, delivery, infant welfare, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.

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Doctor to patient ratio
While the recommended doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,000, in Kenya, one doctor serves over 5,000 people.

According to the Kenya Health Workforce Report, the country has 51,649 registered nurses aged 60 and below though only 31,896 are active, 9,497 doctors, 13,913 clinical officers and 1,066 dentists.

The nurse-patient ratio stands at 8.3:10,000, way below the World Health Organisation recommended ratio of 25:10,000.

In Uganda, a doctor serves more than 2,700 patients while a nurse takes care of 11,000 patients. Tanzania has one of the world’s poorest doctor-patient ratio at 1: 25,000.

“Inspection of medical, nursing and other health training institutions is a critical quality assurance intervention that must be pursued,” said Dr Opendi.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr Cleopa Mailu said training more health specialists would benefit the region.

World Bank health adviser Khama Rogo said that sharing of health specialists rather than employing them would help to address the shortage while reducing costs.