Health care system in Sudan: review and analysis of Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threats (SWOT Analysis)
Keywords:
Health Care System, SWOT analysis, Sudan
Abstract
Background: The Republic of the Sudan located in north-east of Africa and is considered to be a lower-middle income country. The country has well established healthcare system with many drawbacks mainly due to economic and managerial reasons followed by prolonged political instability and sanctions.
Objective: The aim of this study is to give an insight over the health services system in Sudan and to analyze the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Materials and
Methods: The search was done from two electronic databases: MEDLINE/Pubmed and from public search engines: Google Scholar and Google with key Search words used mainly as “Healthcare system in Sudan“. Additionally, SWOT analysis of healthcare system in Sudan was carried out based on the Roemer’s model of health service system.
Results: The Sudanese healthcare system was analyzed for different components of the system: The system in Sudan has full package of strategic plans and policies be it in a long term or short. Despite this there is poor implementation and organization along with frail health information system. The main external factors that drawback the system is the overall economic instability which resulted in cutting of the health expenditure.
Conclusion: The Sudan is a rich country in terms of natural resources and population. Its health service system has strengths and weaknesses. It needs to build on its qualified human work force, stress on its well-designed short and long-term strategies on health care system and the partnership with external funding institutions, while overcoming the challenges on creating the proper health information system, economic support system and centralization of health service and professionals.
References
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[9] N. H. A. A-Rahman and G. A. Jacquet, “The state of emergency care in the Republic of the Sudan,” African Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 55–60, 2014.
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[13] B. Gibis, J. Artiles, P. Corabian et al., “Application of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis in the development of a health technology assessment program,” Health Policy, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 27–35, 2001.
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[15] Federal Ministry of health, Sudan National Health Policy , 2007. 2007;1–20.
[16] WHO, Country Cooperation Strategy for WHO Sudan and 2008–2013. 2010.
[17] G. A. Bjune, S. S. E. Al-Said, and Z. A. Damtew, The Health Information System in Sudan-The National Level and the State Capita. Univ I OSLO. 2010;(July):1–144.
[18] Global Health Workforce Alliance, Achieving health related MDGs: Addressing healthworkforcechallengesthroughtheCountryCoordinationandFacilitation(CCF) Approach. Glob Heal Work alliance. 2012.
[19] Ministry of Health Sudan, Reproductive Health Strategic Plan 2013–2016. 2013;(February 2013).
[20] M. Flinkenflögel, A. Essuman, P. Chege, O. Ayankogbe, and J. De Maeseneer, “Family medicine training in sub-Saharan Africa: South-South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development,” Family Practice, vol. 31, no. 4, article no. 14, 2014.
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[22] N. Malik, Failing hospitals and private-public fiefdoms_ what healthcare revealsabout Sudan. African Arguments. 2014.
[23] ECOSOC Meeting, Implementation of National Development Strategies; SudanPresentation. In 2009.
[24] Federal Ministry of Health, 25 Years Strategic Plan for Health Sector. 2002.
[25] V. Navarro, C. Muntaner, C. Borrell et al., “Politics and health outcomes,” Lancet, vol. 368, no. 9540, pp. 1033–1037, 2006.
[26] A. Glassman, K. Buse, and Public Health Policy Reform, In: International Encyclope- dia of Public Health. 2017. p. 527–532.
[27] Federal Ministry of Health, 5-Year National Health Information Strategic Plan 2007. 2007.
[28] M. Nimeiri, M. Moustafa, and M. Ali, Sudan health information system: Review and assessment. Khartoum Natl Heal Inf Cent. 2007.[29] MSF, Sudan Activity Report 2015 [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Jan 25]. Available from: http://activityreport2015.msf.org/country/sudan/.
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[32] A. A. Alimam, Sudan 2015 Field Report.Emergency physicians international. 2015.
[33] J. Lethbridge, Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Work Plan for Sudan (2008-2012). 2012.
[34] GHWA, Achieving health related MDGs:Addressing health workforce challenges through the Country Coordination and Facilitation (CCF) Approach. Glob Heal Work alliance. 2012;1–7.
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[36] Mouhanad Hammami, “Expat Arab health professionals: Brain Drain or Brain Gain- DIFI International Seminar Doha, Qatar. 2013”.
[37] F.M.Abdalla,M.A.Omar,andE.E.Badr,“ContributionofSudanesemedicaldiaspora to the healthcare delivery system in Sudan: Exploring options and barriers,” Human Resources for Health, vol. 14, article no. 28, 2016.
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[39] J. M. Souers, “Cuba Leads the World in Lowest Patient per Doctor Ratio; How do they do it at,” The Social Medicine Portal, p. p, 2012.
[40] E. Badr, Migration of health professionals in Sudan?: need for a national policy?? June,2011, 2011.
[41] E. J. Mills, S. Kanters, A. Hagopian et al., “The financial cost of doctors emigrating from sub-Saharan Africa: human capital analysis,” British Medical Journal, vol. 343,Article ID d7031, 2011.
[42] Federal Ministry of health, Republic of the Sudan, Federal Ministry of Health, 25 years Strategic Plan. 2003.
[43] Zapmeta, Health in Sudan - ZapMeta Wiki. 2017.
[44] H. A. I. El-imam, N. Yusuf, K. Abdul, and S. Arab, “Impact of Brain Drain Immigration on the Economic Development in Sudan 1973 to 2005 Introduction,” Bus Manag Rev, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 15–24, 1973.
[45] G. K. Mohamed, “Financing health care in Sudan: Is it a time for a bolishing of user charge,” Sudan J Public Heal, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 38–47, 2007.
[46] R. Gaafar, E. Tarin, E. Salih, and F. Abdallah, Sudan Health System Financing: review and recommendations. Evid - Public Heal Institue’s Q Newsl. 2014;(10).
[47] PNHP, “Health Care Systems - Four Basic Models | Physicians for a National Health Program. 2008. p. 3”.
[48] J. Levine, Can the Cuban Universal Health System Work in the U.S, Community Health, Global Health, Healthcare Policy:Mail man school of public health, Colombia University. 2016.
[49] H. Christina, Primary Health Care, Why is it Important? [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Jan 23]. Available from:http://www.phcris.org.au/news/newsfeed/2015/november/phcvideo.php.
[50] I. Elsubai, “Health promotion prospects in Sudan,” Sudan J public Heal, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 10–20, 2007.
[51] A. Louran, A. M. Musa, T. Hanan, N. A. Mohammed, M. Nazik Nurelhuda et al.,Promoting access to high quality primary health care services in Sudan [Internet].2012. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229072353_Promoting_access_to_high_quality_primary_health_care_services_in_Sudan.
