Etudes par pays volume 2, PDF, 346 p., 1,4 Mo - Femise

11873_02 Study D2: Poverty, Informal Sector, Health and Labour
medically assisted and only one fourth of deliveries took place in a health
facility.
Disparity in health indicators
Despite the improvement that has been achieved in most health indicators,
one of the main concern in maternal and child health is the geographical
disparity that continue to prevail especially between urban and rural areas
and between Lower (northern) and Upper (southern) Egypt. Child mortality
rate in rural Upper Egypt is twice the rate observed in Urban governorates.
Prevalence of child malnutrition in rural Upper Egypt is tree folds its level
in Urban governorates. With respect to maternal care during delivery, the
percent of pregnant women seen by a health provider during pregnancy at
least 4 times was 26% in rural area and 54% in urban areas.
Health expenditure
Annual per capita expenditure on health care is L.E. 205. This amount is
divided to L.E. 121 on outpatient services, L.E. 15 on inpatient services and
L.E. 69 on drugs 6 .
2.5. Phenomenology
Currently, there is a large gap between the very comprehensive set of
services that the actual primary care program intends to provide and the
resources available to do it. The imbalance results in low salaries, lack of
supplies and substandard facilities. Dissatisfaction is widespread. Already
scarce resources are spread too thin to have an impact. The poor suffer to
pay private doctors and make out of pocket payments to buy medicine.
Services are fragmented and referral mechanisms loose people through the
cracks in the system. The existing primary care system cannot provide a
family and community focus, which is necessary to achieve primary health
care goals.
6 Ministry of Health and Population 2002, Egypt Household and Health Care Utilization
and Expenditure Survey.
FONDAZIONE CENSIS
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