Poverty
and Healthcare in African Countries and how it has affected the Population and Zimbabwe
Economy
Many problems in
Africa are caused by the fact that it has the highest population growth. Since
1960, the population has doubled, and African countries have been ranked top
regarding the fertility rate in the world as well as the population growth (United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2012). Additionally,
African countries are faced with a social and economic situation that is very
alarming. One of the devastating problems is the persistent poor health.
Following the poor health, Africans have a lower life expectancy and experience
high mortality rate because of the many diseases and illnesses that are endemic
in the region. Focusing sub-Sahara, this paper will focus on poverty and
healthcare in Zimbabwe addressing its effects on the population and the economy (Ali,
Thorbecke, & Shimelis, 2000). From a historical background, poverty is
related to poor healthcare in Zimbabwe. The medical facilities have experienced
shortages of drugs although currently, the country is picking concerning the
stocking of modern drugs. Some of the factors contributing to poor healthcare
are the lack of trained staffs where some of the qualified health professionals
left the country for green pastures in other countries that offered them better
working conditions and salaries. The most prevalent diseases that have taken
many lives include HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Cholera (Callaghan, Ford, &
Schneider, 2010). This country also faces challenges regarding food shortages that have
contributed to malnutrition-related diseases. One of the factors that have
contributed to poverty and the poor economy in Zimbabwe is colonialism. This
country was colonized by the British, and after president Robert Mugabe won the
national elections in 1980, crises of land redistribution started. The problem of land redistribution caused
stress thus affecting agriculture, and eventually economy inflation. The
economic problem since then was the major cause of poverty in
