Researchers combined 2015 population census data for sub-Saharan Africa with location data for public healthcare facilities to assess facility accessibility and hospital bed space and to estimate the need for future hospital expansion; for individuals to travel to facilities within 120 minutes or less and be guaranteed a hospital bed, countries in sub-Saharan Africa need to build approximately 6,200 new facilities by 2030 accounting for population growth, and around 2.5 million additional hospital beds should be distributed between new facilities and approximately 1,100 existing facilities that require expansion, according to the authors.
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Article #20-09172: "Planning universal accessibility to public health care in sub-Saharan Africa," by Giacomo Falchetta, Ahmed T. Hammad, and Soheil Shayegh.
MEDIA CONTACT: Giacomo Falchetta, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, ITALY; e-mail: < giacomo.falchetta@unicatt.it >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences