KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1976 Population: 93,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 2.3% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$12,530 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 71 Life expectancy: 73 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 14 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 4.3% of GDP (2012) General information The Republic of Seychelles lies in the western part of the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar and 1,593 km east of Mombasa, Kenya. It is an isolated archipelago of outstanding natural beauty comprising about 115 islands, the largest and most economically important of which is Mahé. Climate: Tropical. The south-east trade winds blow May–October. The north-west monsoon winds bring heavy squalls of rain. January is the wettest month, July and August the driest. Temperature remains constant throughout the year, at 24–31°C, and humidity at around 80 per cent. The country is outside the cyclone belt. Environment: The most significant environmental issue is dependence on rainwater for supply of water. Population: 93,000 (2013); 88 per cent on Mahé, seven per cent on Praslin, three per cent on La Digue and two per cent on the other islands, with 53 per cent of people living in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 1.3 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2012 the birth rate was 17 per 1,000 people (est) and life expectancy was 73 years (est). The population is of mixed African, French, Indian, Chinese and Arab descent. There are small minorities of Europeans, Indians and Chinese. Economy: Seychelles is classified as an upper-middle-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: In 2013 infant mortality in Seychelles was 12 deaths per 1,000 live births, with an under-five mortality rate of 14 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. There was a consistent decline in the under-five mortality rate between 1990 and 1996. However, the years from 1996 saw the mortality rate plateau at 14 deaths per 1,000 live births; accordingly, the underfive mortality rate is not yet in line with the country’s target of six deaths per 1,000 live births, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the three most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (27 per cent), congenital anomalies (25 per cent) and birth asphyxia (eight per cent). Other contributing causes were pneumonia (seven per cent), and neonatal sepsis and injuries (both four per cent). In the period 2007–11 Seychelles had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 57 deaths per 100,000 live births. Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Seychelles accounted for an estimated 74 per cent of all mortality in 2008. The most prevalent NCDs in Seychelles are cardiovascular diseases, which caused 32 per cent of the total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Cancer, non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes contributed 20 per cent, four per cent and two per cent to total mortality, respectively (2008). Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Seychelles accounted for an estimated 19 per cent of all mortality in 2008. A government paper on HIV/AIDS reported a cumulative 578 HIV cases (261 of which resulted in death) in the period 1987–2013. Seychelles is a non-endemic country for malaria. The estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) has shown an overall decrease in the period 1990–2013, with significant fluctuation throughout this period, while the estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) for TB has fluctuated, but remained overall unchanged. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 4.3 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$486 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were 151 doctors, and 793 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in 2012, 97 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles and in 2009, 99 per cent of all births were attended by a qualified health attendant. The most recent survey, conducted in the period 2000–11, reports that Seychelles has 76 pharmaceutical personnel per 100,000 people. In 2012, 96 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 255 Seychelles
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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