People still dying from curable diseases — but SA ranks quite high
The Healthcare Access and Quality Index rates SA high on diptheria but low on TB; but developed countries, such as Norway and Australia, are not getting it right either
The number of people dying from curable illnesses is "disturbing"‚ a new global study has found. While significant gains have been made in the past 25 years‚ the study found "massive inequity of access and quality healthcare". The study is authored by Dr Christopher Murray‚ director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. It was published on Friday in the international medical journal‚ The Lancet. The study says SA’s healthcare system ranks high in addressing common vaccine-preventable diseases‚ with a score of 98 out of 100 in addressing diphtheria and 95 for tetanus. However‚ in other categories the nation has much lower scores‚ such as tuberculosis (TB) and lower respiratory infections, which both score 24. Researchers used data from a Healthcare Access and Quality Index‚ which collects information on deaths from 32 causes that could be avoided by timely and effective medical treatment. The study is the first effort to assess services i...
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