The Health Situation

The health situation in a country is a key factor for human development. People, who are ill or have to look after ill relatives, are kept away from productively contributing to their family’s and country’s economic wellbeing. Instead, a lot of money is needed for treatment and medication.

As a consequence, many other key factor for human development (like food security and access to education) are affected; the development of the country is slowed down. The countries of the Orange-Senqu River basin have been experiencing these problems with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

It is in the highest interest of any country/government to invest into good healthcare for its citizens – as investment here will produce multiple benefits.

As a first overview, which should lead to further reading and discussion, the WHO country health profiles of the four basin states should be studied. These can be accessed in the Documents Library.