HOSPITALS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA - WHY WE NEED MORE OF WHAT DOES NOT WORK AS IT SHOULD

This paper analyses the origins of today's crisis in the hospital sect or in sub-Saharan Africa. Present trends in availability of hospital s ervices are extrapolated to the future in order to provide a low-end e stimate of the need for expansion of first referral level hospitals. T his will not be possible without giving due priority to this sector, a commitment to considerable investments and reorientation of resources from tertiary to first referral level hospitals. It is to be feared t hat if this is not done, the backlog will increase, and, given the tim e lag before investments translate into operational services: there wi ll be a major shortage of hospital services in sub-Saharan Africa with in a decade.