Healthcare in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa: obstacles and barriers to care.
BACKGROUND
The provision of healthcare services in developing countries has received increasing attention, but inequalities persist. One nation with potential inequalities in healthcare services is Equatorial Guinea (Central-West Africa). Mitigating these inequalities is difficult, as the Equatoguinean healthcare system remains relatively understudied.


METHODS
In this study, we interviewed members of the healthcare community in order to: 1) learn which diseases are most common and the most common cause of death from the perspective of healthcare workers; and 2) gain an understanding of the healthcare community in Equatorial Guinea by describing how: a) healthcare workers gain their professional knowledge; b) summarizing ongoing healthcare programs aimed at the general public; c) discussing conflicts within the healthcare community and between the public and healthcare providers; d) and addressing opportunities to improve healthcare delivery.


RESULTS
We found that some causes of death, such as serious injuries, may not be currently treatable in country, potentially due to a lack of resources and trauma care facilities. In addition, training and informational programs for both healthcare workers and the general public may not be effectively transmitting information to the intended recipients. This presents hurdles to the healthcare community, both in terms of having professional competence in healthcare delivery and in having a community that is receptive to medical care.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data also highlight government-facility communication as an opportunity for improvement. Our research is an important first step in understanding the context of healthcare delivery in Equatorial Guinea, a country that is relatively data poor.
Temple University, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
Kim Eleanor
KE
Reuter
California State University Fullerton, Department of Public Health, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA.
Aurora
A
Geysimonyan
Florida Gulf Coast University, College of Health Professions & Social Work, Fort Myers, FL, 33965, USA.
Gabriela
G
Molina
Florida Gulf Coast University, College of Health Professions & Social Work, Fort Myers, FL, 33965, USA.
Peter Robert
PR
Reuter
D000354:Africa, Western / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries; D016703:Equatorial Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006287:Health Planning Guidelines; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload
Equatorial Guinea; africa; attitudes; healthcare worker; perception