Here are 3 facts about healthcare in Uganda.
57: The Life Expectancy at Birth
Uganda is ranked 175 out of 193 countries in terms of life expectancy. In contrast, the United States is ranked 34, with an average life expectancy of 80 years old! The lower life expectancy in Uganda, and in other developing nations, can be attributed to treatable and preventable causes, but often communities there have no way of reaching professional help.
12: The number of doctors per 100,000 people in Uganda.
The people of Uganda heavily rely on nurses, aid workers, and other sources of health-care as the country is truly understaffed in terms of doctors. Seeing a doctor face-to-face is out of reach for the average person.
Just to compare, the United States has 242 doctors per 100,000 people.
84.4%: The percentage of the population that is rural in Uganda.
With an overall population of about 36 million people, a huge majority still live in rural pockets and most make a living as farmers in the agriculture industry. Much of the existing health-care infrastructure in Uganda is built for the urban populations, which leaves the rest of the population left to fend for themselves.