| Health
Life Expectancy at Birth 1995 - 2000
(Source: UN Population Division - "World Population Prospects
Revision" report 2002)
More Developed
Regions: 74.9 years
Less Developed
Regions: 65.4 years
Least Developed
Regions: 48.7 years
World Average:
64.6 years
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270 million
children have no access to health services (1 in 7) *
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2.2 million
children die each year because they are not immunized *
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15 million
children are orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total population
of children in Germany or UK) *
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There are many
factors that contribute to the poor health of people in the developing
world. Amongst these are poor diet, no access to clean water, no access
to child vaccinations or preventative medicines and poor access to
hospitals and health facilities.
For most people in
the developing world, a visit to the doctors is only made when the
situation becomes urgent. Often, the health facilities are located in
the nearest large town, which can be a great distance away across the
hills - sometimes a whole days journey. When they get there, there will
more than likely be a queue to see the one overworked doctor that is on
duty.
The medical
facilities themselves are very basic when compared to what we are used
to in the West. The selection of drugs and medicines are usually very
limited as there is not the money to buy them. There is often no x-ray
machine or laboratory for diagnosing diseases or viruses. For more
serious problems, the patients will have to get themselves to the major
towns or cities.
* UNICEF "State of the World's Children" report 2005.
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