| This paper traces the history of health services in the African region; it discusses present problems in the context of past developments, starting with traditional African medicine, through the introduction of European medicine via missionaries and militarycontingents, up to present. At the beginning of the 20th century, African legislation on hygiene followed closely that in Europe, but as the lawmakers and health personnel were non-African, inroads were few. From 1920 to 1950, emphasis shifted to control of epidemic and endemic diseases and to recruiting health personnel from native populations, but World War II and the depression, the gap between the expectations and resources of the newly independent nations, lack of sickness insurance in social security schemes, and the increase in population blocked progress. Beause health services were not developed for and by the Africans themselves, national health personnel have only recently begun to acquire experience and proper training. Finally,the numbers of paramedicals and professionals have not appreciably increased because non-Africa have steadily left Africa and Africans who study outside often do not return. Those who do return are frustrated by their training, which does not prepare them for their responsibilities. This paper does not pretend to be comprehensive, but it has drawn from 28 published document, which are referenced. |