Table 3.
Selected health labour market indicators in the four countries a in 2011
| Cameroon h | Kenya | Sudan | Zambia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock and density indicators 2011 | ||||
| Density of health workers (per 1,000 population) | 1.87 | 0.8 | 2.36 | 1.41 |
| (total no. 38,207) | (total no. 31,060) | (total no. 77,280) | (total no. 18,397) | |
| Density of physicians (per 1,000 population) b | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| (total no. 1,842) | (total no. 4,660) | (total no. 19,778) | (total 2,419) | |
| Density of nurses and midwives (per 1,000 population) c | 0.93 | 0.45 | 1.02 | 0.86 |
| (total no. 18,954) | (total no. 18,749) | (total no. 33,193) | (total no. 11,193) | |
| Distribution of health workers by category | 4.8% physicians, 49.6% nurses, 45.6% others | 15% physicians, 60.4% nurses and midwives, 24.6% others | 25.6% physicians, 43% nurses and midwives, 31.4% others | 13.2% physicians, 60.8% nurses and midwives, 26% others |
| Percentage over 40 years old | 43 (nurses) 46 (physicians) | 70 (nurses) | 49 (all health workers) | 56 (midwives)d |
| Percentage female (all health workers | 56 | 60 | 52 | 61 |
| Percentage of health workers employed in public sector e | 66 | 33 | 62 | 79 |
| Categories of health workers in informal economy | 0.5% nurses, support staff and paramedical stafff | traditional medicine practitioners, traditional birth attendants | community health workers, village midwives | traditional birth attendants, traditional attendants |
| Migration | Data not available | 51% physicians, 8.3% nurses [20] | 60% physicians, 25% pharmacists | 0.5% of nurses |
| Main destination countries | Data not available | USA, Australia, Namibia | Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Ireland | United Kingdom, Swaziland, Botswana |
| Geographical distribution (per 1,000 population) | Highest density 3.2 (Yaoundé) lowest density 0.7 (North province) | Highest density 1.81 (Central province) lowest density 0.84 (North Eastern province) | Highest density 3.2 (Northern state) lowest density 0.7 (South Darfur) | Highest density 1.66 (Lusaka (urban) and Copperbelt) lowest density 0.68 (Northern province (rural)) |
| Shortage indicators | ||||
| Needs-based shortage of health workers | 55% overall; 65% physicians, 42% nurses | 70% overall; 59% physicians, 57% nurses and midwives | 57% physicians, 61% nurses and midwives | 54% overall; 63% physicians, 50% nurses and midwives |
| Economic shortage of health workers (vacancy rate) | Data not available | 39% physicians, 33% nurses and midwives | 25% overall; 36% physicians, 21% nursesg | 62% physicians, 53% nurses and midwives |
| Wage shortage h | Physicians’ wage 6.8 times average income per capita; nurses’ wage 3.8 times average income per capita | Physicians’ wage 44 times average income per capita; nurses’ wage 15 times average income per capita | Physicians’ wage 55% more than average income per capita; nurses’ wage same as average income per capita | Physicians’ wage 15 times average income per capita; nurses’ wage 7.5 times average income per capita |
aData are for 2011 or the most recent year available. Countries are given in alphabetical order. Numbers in square brackets give the reference number of the source of the data.
bThe term physician includes following health worker categories: doctors and medical assistants for Sudan; physicians, medical licentiates, and clinical officers for Zambia; medical officers for Cameroon; medical officers and registered clinical officers for Kenya.
cThe term nurses and midwives includes following health worker categories: midwives and nurses for Sudan and Zambia; nurses for Cameroon (no cadre of midwives is listed in the available data); bachelor of science in nursing and registered community health nurses for Kenya. In Cameroon and Kenya, midwives are not listed as a separate cadre.
dThis number refers to midwives older than 45 years.
ePrivate includes both profit and non-profit.
fThis number is likely to be an underestimate, as most informal workers were not included in the census.
gCalculated from a health facility survey conducted in 2011 in six states: Blue Nile, Kassala, Khartoum, Northern Kordofan, Red Sea, Southern Kordofan.
hNot adjusted for allowances and converted to US$ using the current exchange rate (Kenya: US$1 = 85.77 KES; Sudan: US$1 = 2.5 SDG.