The Increasing Importance of Reproductive Health in African Countries
Improving reproductive health in Africa is essential for stopping the spread of STIs and for the promotion of sexual health. Additionally, the spread of HIV has reached epidemic proportions in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Governments are waking up to the importance of reproductive health and how it can play a role in combating the spread of HIV. In such a situation, doctors who have done their MBBS and an upgradation course in reproductive health are needed. Importantly these doctors help meet the increasing demand for reproductive health specialists in Africa. The Current Situation of Reproductive Health in Africa There is no ignoring the fact that improving sexual and reproductive health in Africa is a daunting challenge. News reports regularly show how countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) must constantly battle a complex web of problems. Additionally, reproductive health policy issues are often hindrances rather than being helpful. Helpfully Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are increasingly being included as human rights in the continent. However, in many countries, sufficient reproductive health policy issues have not been implemented to guarantee high-quality SRHR. Without access to SRHR, adolescents and young women (AGYW) are most at risk. AGYW are denied healthcare services, are subject to female genital mutilation (FGM), and are forced into marriage or sterilizations. Additionally, various economic factors and regional politics combine with reproductive health policy issues to complicate matters in the SSA region. This, in turn, causes problems that impact the efficient delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Africa. Even when SRHR are provided in Africa, women and adolescents often cannot access them freely. Many women also do not have enough information about SRH services available to them. So there is an urgent need for improving the sexual and reproductive health of the population, and specifically AGYM. The high prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region is also alarming. Current estimates show that over 54 percent of the worldu2019s population who have HIV live in the region. As a result, in 2018, the area had 20.6 million people living with HIV, of which 800,000 are newly infected. With a large percentage of the population in ESA infected with HIV. The economic and social development of various countries has been adversely impacted.
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