2023 What Is The Life Expectancy In Ivory Coast: Expert Tell You

Factors Affecting Life Expectancy in Ivory Coast

The average life expectancy in Ivory Coast is currently around 54 years, significantly lower than the global average of 72 years. This is largely due to high infant and child mortality rates as a result of poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare and infectious diseases.Malnutrition rates amongchildren are high, with many suffering from stunting and wasting. Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria also contribute to the low life expectancy.Access to clean water, adequate sanitation and hygiene services is limited for much of the population. High maternal mortality rates due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth is another key factor.
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ivory coast, disease, orange and white plastic container — *Photo by* *National Cancer Institute* / *Unsplash*

Healthcare System in Ivory Coast

The healthcare system in Ivory Coast faces many challenges that contribute to the country’s low life expectancy. Access to healthcare services is limited by:

•High levels of poverty – over 46% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day.
• Geographical remoteness as most health facilities are located in urban areas.
• Financial barriers as out-of-pocket costs make up over 60% of total health expenditure.

There are also severe shortages of:

•Medical supplies and essential medicines due to lack of funding and logistical issues.
•Qualified health personnel – Ivory Coast has only 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people.

Immunization coverage remains low:

•Only 74% of children aged 12–23 months received basic vaccinations in 2016.
• Antenatal care visits coverage was at 78% in 2014.

The public health infrastructure, especially in rural areas, is in poor condition with:

• Understaffed and underequipped health centers and hospitals
• Insufficient funds for maintenance of health facilities and purchase of supplies

Government health expenditure is low at around 4% of GDP , far less than the 15% recommended by the World Health Organization. Ivory Coast also receives limited donor funding and assistance for its health programs and system development.

Overall, due to these major challenges, the healthcare system in Ivory Coast struggles to provide adequate and equitable care to improve health outcomes and increase life expectancy.

ivory coast, disease, woman's hand on face — *Photo by* *Mehrpouya H* / *Unsplash*

Improving Life Expectancy in Ivory Coast

There are several key strategies needed to improve life expectancy in Ivory Coast:

•Expanding access to essential health services for women and children through community health programs, mobile clinics, and financing mechanisms to reduce out-of-pocket costs. More women need to receive antenatal and delivery care from skilled birth attendants to lower maternal mortality.

•Improving child nutrition by providing supplements like vitamin A, fortified foods through welfare programs, and nutrition education. Malnutrition contributes significantly to under-5 mortality in Ivory Coast.

•Scaling up immunization programs to reach more children. Immunization coverage needs to increase from current rates to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

•Strengthening the healthcare system by training more community health workers, building new health centers, and providing more funding and resources.This includes strengthening the cold chain for vaccines and essential medicines.

•Combating infectious diseases through improved water, sanitation and hygiene to reduce transmission, as well as effective prevention and treatment measures like insecticide-treated nets for malaria and antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients.

•Increasing financial resources for health by the government and development partners. Public health spending as a percentage of GDP needs to reach at least 15% as recommended by WHO.

These multisectoral efforts aimed at improved health service delivery, nutrition, disease control and healthcare financing have the potential to significantly lower infant/child mortality and infectious disease burden in Ivory Coast, ultimately increasing average life expectancy towards levels seen in comparable middle-income countries. But substantial investments and reforms will be required to implement and sustain these interventions effectively.

ivory coast, disease, person wearing gold wedding band — *Photo by* *National Cancer Institute* / *Unsplash*

Key Challenges to Life Expectancy in Ivory Coast

There are numerous challenges facing Ivory Coast that make it difficult to significantly improve the country’s life expectancy:

•High levels of poverty – Over 46% of the population lives below $1.90 a day, limiting their access to nutritious food, healthcare, and basic services. This disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable groups like women and children.

•Limited government health expenditure – Health spending as a percentage of GDP is only around 4%, far below the recommended 15%. There is insufficient budget allocation for expanding health services and improving the system.

•Shortages of health professionals, medicines and equipment – There are acute shortfalls of doctors, nurses, essential medicines and medical supplies due to limited resources and funding. This compromises the quality of care available across the country.

•Widespread infectious diseases – HIV/AIDS prevalence is 3.7%, tuberculosis incidence is high at 316 cases per 100,000 population, and malaria burdens a majority of the population. Effective control of these diseases remains a challenge.

•High fertility rates – The total fertility rate is 4.8 children per woman, placing a considerable burden on maternal health and child nutrition. Family planning services need to be expanded.

•Poor sanitation and limited access to clean water – Only 15% of the population has access to basic sanitation services while 47% uses surface water as the main drinking water source. Improved water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent many child deaths.

•Socioeconomic inequalities – There are large disparities in health outcomes based on income, education, gender and area of residence. Addressing the social determinants of health will be difficult.

These structural challenges highlight the need for sustained commitment, resources and multi-sectoral action – from both the government and the international community – to make significant gains in life expectancy in Ivory Coast.