The first health care facility in Djibouti was opened in 1897 by the Ethiopian Railways Company, which was later purchased by the state in 1901. It was expanded to include a facility for tuberculosis patients and included 12 new beds for the medically indigent. In 1949, the number of beds increased to 330. Additionally, a laboratory and the ability to treat patients with pulmonary diseases was added. The facility was expanded again in 1953, adding a surgical unit named after Guibert Germain and a blood transfusion unit. The hospital was renamed in 1955 after General Peltier to commemorate his service as a chief physician for 25 years. Additional operating theaters were added the same year. The facility expanded again in 1968 to include a 35 bed maternal ward and 30 beds for eye and ENT.[1]: 30
Health care
In 2010 there were an estimated 23 physicians and 80 nurses per 100,000 people.[2] Since healthcare in the region is so poor, more than a third of the healthcare recipients are migrants. Healthcare is best in the capital; outside the capital it is limited by poor infrastructure, equipment shortages, and a lack of qualified personnel.[3]
There were 56 medical facilities in Djibouti in 2019, including hospitals, medical centers, and health posts.[4] The following are some of the hospitals in Djibouti:[5]
Infant mortality has decreased by 38.5 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1990.
Infant Mortality per 1,000 live births (deaths)[2]
Year
Male
Female
Total
1990
100.6
84.4
92.7
2000
86.5
72.6
79.7
2010
67.7
56.3
62.2
2015
59.2
49.1
54.2
Djibouti's birth rate is 23.6/1,000 inhabitants, while its death rate is 7.6 deaths/1,000 inhabitants. The maternal rate is 2.29 deaths/1,000 inhabitants.[3] The death rate was 7.73 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.[2]
HIV/AIDS
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Djibouti was 1.6% of the population for those aged 15–49 years old (9,400 people) as of 2015.[2][3] In 2015, there were an estimated 600 deaths from AIDS.[3]
Women and children
As of 2012, 29.8% of children under five were underweight.[3] In Djibouti, 93.1% females had female genital mutilation as of 2006.[2]Female genital mutilation in Djibouti is a leading cause of infant and maternal mortality, and it continues to be prevalent to this day, despite a 1995 law prohibiting the practice.[3]