NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, March 15, 2013

The report reflects that mortality rates for women and children in Africa continue to rise and are amongst the highest in the world due to a lack of adequate healthcare services.

The report was commissioned as part of the Philips ‘Fabric of Africa’ campaign to provide a comprehensive and holistic overview of the current healthcare issues and trends experienced in Africa and focuses specifically on Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Egypt.

Highlights of the report, which incorporates the results of a range of recent studies, include:

-The threat of NCDs is increasing rapidly and, if current trends continue, they are expected to become the most common cause of death in Africa

-In 2010, NCDs were responsible for 40% of all deaths in the WHO African Region and the WHO projects that they will exceed communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional diseases as the most common cause of death in Africa by 2025.