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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Lesotho accounted for an estimated 27 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in Lesotho are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 12 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2012. Noncommunicable variants of respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes contributed four per cent, three per cent and three per cent, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for nine per cent of deaths in 2012. The most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses in Lesotho are depression and anxiety. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 9.1 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$108 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were five doctors, and 62 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in 2009, 62 per cent of births were attended by qualified health staff and in 2013, 92 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2012, 81 per cent L e s o t h o people were using an improved drinking water source and 30 per cent had access to adequate sanitation facilities. The most recent survey, conducted in the period 2000–11, reports that Lesotho has three pharmaceutical personnel per 100,000 people. A network of hospitals, clinics and health centres provide basic facilities across most of the country. The Ministry of Health, in conjunction with several non-governmental and private agencies, as well as donors, maintains the health system. The country is divided into health service areas (HSAs), each of which has a government or mission hospital. The central hospital in each HSA works with village health centres that have resident nurses or nurse practitioners. The lowest tier of health delivery is clinics, which receive regular visits from doctors or nurses. Serious emergencies are often referred to neighbouring South Africa. A new hospital, the Queen Mamohato Memorial, opened in 2011, replacing Queen Elizabeth II Hospital as the country’s only referral hospital. As there is no local pharmaceutical manufacturing, all pharmaceuticals are imported (2015). The most recent act of parliament relating to mental health in Lesotho is the Mental Health Law (1964). Health MDGs: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) mature in 2015, but monitoring of progress is ongoing due to the time it takes to collect and analyse data from each country. Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 197 Under-five mortality 150 120 90 60 30 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Under-five mortality per 1,000 live births 2015 MDG 4 target 0 Life expectancy and HIV/AIDS 25 20 15 10 5 1980 1990 2000 2013 Prevalence of HIV/AIDS among those aged 15–49 Life expectancy Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15-49) Life expectancy in years 60 50 40 0 Mortality by cause of death (% of all deaths), 2012 Communicable diseases, Injuries maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions Non-communicable diseases Tuberculosis: Incidence and mortality 1990 2000 2010 Mortality excluding cases comorbid with HIV (per100,000 people) Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 people) – including cases comorbid with HIV 1500 1200 900 600 300 0


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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