Healthcare System of Burundi

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF BURUNDI 1
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OF BURUNDI
By (Name)
The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor
The Name of the School
The City and State where it is located
The Date

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF BURUNDI 2
Introduction
Burundi civilians have lived through years of struggle, and now they are in a situation of chronic
disaster. The healthcare system of Burundi is relatively poor, and health care facilities are
limited across the whole country. Although in 2003, there was an agreement on war cessation,
the effects of war are still evident, and there is no peace in certain parts of Burundi. The civil
wars have continued to be experienced in the country and have adversely affected the health
sector. The government of Burundi has made little improvement in the health sector is limited.
There is a shortage of medical professionals, inadequate security provision and the country's
infrastructure is still inferior which limits the accessibility of the health facilities. The rate of
Mortality in Burundi is still high although the country has enjoyed a considerable period of
political stability. Due to poverty, a large portion of the Burundian population cannot be able to
pay for the healthcare services hence they cannot access these services. Most of the patients who
are from poor backgrounds cannot afford the medical expenses thus remain in their homes
without health care services. There are widespread communicable diseases such as malaria and
cholera which mostly affect women and children. These diseases have led to the death of a
considerable number of Burundian because they are unable to access the health facilities and the
cost of health service is unaffordable to them.
The cost of health increased due to the cost recovery policy that was implemented by the
government of Burundi in the year 2002. The policy required that all the patient pay their
medical bills in full that they incur in the course of treatment without any government
intervention. As a result, patients had to pay the total cost of medicines and other healthcare
services offered in the hospitals. The funds allocated to the health sector by the government was
inadequate hence there was a need to mobilize extra resources in order to improve the health care

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF BURUNDI 3
services. Up to this point, Burundi has introduced two crucial reforms in the health sector to aid
in the improvement of health care. These reforms include performance-based financing reforms
for the hospitals that offer health care services and a district health system to enable in
disseminating healthcare facilities (Van Lerberghe et al, 2014).
The government of Burundi and private sector are have recently put in place strategies to
improve the health sector in Burundi. They have improved the supply of medicine to the public
through increasing the quantity and quality of the medication availed to the public. The drugs are
distributed to the vast population of Burundi through private and public sector at an affordable
price. However, the health sector of Burundi is facing several challenges which include;
inadequate infrastructure, low doctor-to-patient ratio, limitation of access and use of health
services, and inadequate reference care in health facilities. In addition, the health sector also
faces challenges like adequate public funding, shortage of qualified personnel, and limited access
to health services due to financial constraint among the poor. Other challenges include
inadequate logistics, lack of vital registration system to use for data capturing on the prevailing
trends and rate mortality, and also the health centers are inaccessible due to the geographical
factors. The government is looking for ways to lower mortality due to communicable diseases,
reduced neonatal and maternal care, and reduced child and infant care (Farag et al 2013).
Factors influencing health care system in Burundi
Several factors affect the healthcare system of Burundi. These factors can be classified as
economic, institutional, political and social-cultural factors. Health system in any setting is solely
influenced by these factors. The success of the health system greatly depends on the integration
of these factors and how careful the stakeholder considers them. These factors are discussed in
details in the following section (Swartz et al, 2014).

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF BURUNDI 4
Social-cultural factors
There is continued use of traditional methods of treatment among the citizens of Burundi. The
practices have been generally accepted by the people hence interfering with formal health care
delivery. Most patients prefer the traditional methods because they seem to be cheaper and more
affordable when compared with the cost of services offered at the health facilities. Only those
people who have accessed formal education prefer to go to health facilities to receive treatment
though they may also opt to use traditional medications if the illness persists (Falisse et al, 2012).
High population growth rate is another factor affecting the health care of Burundi. The
population of Burundi ha rapidly increased to unmanageable numbers which translate to
stagnation of healthcare facilities. The capacity of the healthcare facilities is not adequate to
adequately accommodate the significant number of patients. As a result, hospitals face the
challenge of congestion, inadequate health professionals to provide health care services and the
medications available are not adequate.
Health disparities have been witnessed in Burundi due to the issue of poverty. A significant
percentage of the population especially the rural dweller is poor and cannot afford the health care
services provided at the current cost (Risso-Gill et al, 2013).
Political factors
The occurrence of civil war in Burundi has dramatically affected health systems in the country.
For the last several years Burundi has experienced violence and civil war due to political
instability which has profoundly affected the systems of Burundi and hinders efforts to improve
the healthcare and the situations of the population. Military suppression has subject most of
Burundian history since its independence in 1962 from Belgium. Massacres that occurred for