SA was ranked 119 out of 195 countries in the Healthcare Access and Quality Index published by medical journal Lancet on Friday. This placed SA one rank below Namibia. SA received a score of 52 points. The country with the best score, Andorra, received 95 followed by 94 for Iceland and 92 for Switzerland. Central African Republic received the worst score of 29, with Afghanistan and Somalia rounding off the bottom three, with scores of 32 and 34 respectively. Although SA was ranked in the bottom half, the researchers rated it among the countries that had improved their healthcare access and quality the most in the 25 years between 1990 and 2015. While the report was released in 2017, the most recent data dates back two years. Lancet releases the index every five years. SA’s score improved from 46 in 1990 to 52 in the latest report, the research showed. The index has 30 constituents. SA’s lowest score was 23 for nonmelanoma skin cancer, followed by 24 for both tuberculosis and lower r...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.