1.13 CONCLUSION
This chapter provided an outline of the study by discussing
the background of the research, problem statement, research objectives,
hypotheses and a literature review. In addition, a brief discussion of the
research methodology and design was included in the chapter. Lastly, ethical
considerations, limitations of the study, the division of the research and
terminology were presented as well.
18
Chapter Two concentrates on the research context of the study.
It will provide a detailed description of the state of the health industry in
Africa and in Gabon in particular. In addition, it will discuss health care
development strategies in hospitals, and furthermore, focus on how the military
hospital has been operating since the facility was established. A summary will
be provided at the end of the chapter.
19
CHAPTER TWO: THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY IN AFRICA
AND
GABON
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Investigating health industry in Africa and particularly in
Gabon is vital to understand the state of health and to promote policies to
enhance health services on the entire continent. Superior health services can
lead to a higher level of patient satisfaction and retention. This is
particularly important since patients satisfied with services are more likely
to repeat purchases, to remain loyal and to follow the medical recommendations
(Olusoji, 2009:16-17). Exploring health services at the military hospital in
Libreville, in Gabon is crucial to determine strategies that could be
recommended to the other hospitals in Gabon, as well as hospitals in other
African countries to improve their service quality and enhance their patient
satisfaction. This chapter explores and analyses the nature of the healthcare
system in Africa with a specific focus on the military hospital in Libreville,
in Gabon. This research may help hospital executives to determine problems
related to poor health services delivery and to address these issues more
efficiently.
This chapter consists of six main sections. These are an
introduction to the health industry in Gabon and Africa, the relevance of the
state of health in Africa to detect issues related to poor health services
performance in the continent. Subsequent to this discussion, the chapter also
focuses on the health development initiatives in central Africa, the health
indicators in Gabon, the organisation of the military hospital in Libreville,
Gabon, followed by a conclusion.
2.2 HEALTH CARE STATUS IN AFRICA
African countries such as Cameroon, Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Equatorial Guinea have a critical and pathetic health care system
that requires attention. Health data for the continent indicates that Africa
loses about one out of six children before they reach five, who die from
sicknesses that could have been avoided by vaccines. In addition, one pregnant
woman dies each two minutes from poor pregnancy and delivery
20
care in hospitals. This raises concerns about the state of
health system in the continent (Health, 2007:19).
Another concern is health care associated infection also
known as (HAI), which is one of the major concerns within most African
hospitals. HAI is described as an infection arising in a patient during the
process of care in a medical institution. Such infection was not diagnosed
during the time the patient was admitted in the hospital. This encompasses
infections acquired while patients were receiving care. These infections may
often manifest after days or even weeks after discharge. Medical employees may
usually be affected by these infections as well, caused by multi resistant
pathogens. Patients' prolonged hospital stay is often regarded as a risk factor
of contracting health care associated infections. This usually results in
excessive costs and may sometimes cause patient's death. HAI is a major issue
in most African states such as in Republic Democratic of Congo and Gabon, where
it affects five to 15 per cent of people admitted in standard wards and as many
as 50 per cent of people admitted in intensive care unit (Nejad et al.,
2011:757). In developed states such as Germany and the United States, control
systems like the German hospital infection surveillance system or the National
Healthcare Safety Network of the United States of America, exist to supply
reports on the prevalence of health care associated infections on a regular
basis. However, in most African countries, such initiative is often taken too
lightly or even neglected. Diagnosing HAI remains a difficult task since it
involves adequate know-how and resources. In addition, medical staff shortage
in most hospitals leads to poor infection control practices, and a lack of
related policies, awareness and skilled professionals also increase the
magnitude of the problem (Prescott & Kruk, 2012:646).
African states have raised concerns to cooperate in order to
restructure the state of their healthcare systems. The New Partnership for
African Development (NEPAD) is developed to consolidate health organisations in
the continent. It encourages collaboration and communication among health
service providers and local societies. Its goal is to alleviate spread of the
HIV/Aids pandemic and other challenges affecting the continent (Health,
2007:19).
Most African countries have taken positive steps to improve
national health strategies as recommended by the World Health Organisation
(WHO). However, only a few of them have recently taken initiatives to revise
their healthcare policies, such nations include Burundi, the Central African
Republic, Mauritania, Tanzania and Gabon (Health, 2007:19).
| 
