Differences Part Three: Hospitals

Mozambique is one of the poorest nations in the world, and this is reflected by the number of hospitals and doctors there. Most recent estimates say that there are about 600 doctors for the entire population, or one doctor for every 30,000 people. In the U.S. its about three doctors for every 1,000 people. Mozambique only has the capacity inside the country to train about 60 doctors per year, and many of those who go outside the country for training, do not return. Money for medicine is scarce, and many times, in order to get any care in a hospital, money must be paid up front, or a patient will not be given care at all. This all equates to very high infant and child mortality rates (about 76 out of every 1000 infants dies before the age of one, 180 out of 1000 children die before the age of five.) In the U.S. 6 infants out of every 1000 die before the age of one. Perhaps the largest difference is that hospitals in Mozambique (and many other places) do not have the responsibility or capacity to feed the patients that are staying in the hospital. That is a responsibility left to friends or relatives. If no one is available to provide food, or buy medicine, this makes medical situations that much more difficult to solve. This contributes to a life expectancy of 47 years currently. We knew of 11 people who died during the six months we were in Mozambique in 2011.