Angola's health crisis deepens after slump in oil causes budget cuts

Angola is facing a public health emergency. Its public hospitals have been overwhelmed by a series of disease outbreaks, and the government has been forced to turn to private business and well-wishers for help.

An outbreak of the mosquito-borne yellow fever disease has killed more than 270 people in the country since December, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

To compound the crisis, Africa’s second-largest oil exporter has been forced to cut its budget again this year following the slump in crude prices in 2015 and is now 40% lower than two years ago.

“Angola is going through a very serious economic crisis as it’s heavily reliant on oil,” said Vibeke Skauerud, from Norwegian Church Aid. “Revenues have fallen by more than half. Hospitals are running out of basic supplies. That, coupled with bad governance, has led to the deep crisis that we now see.”

Health officials launched a vaccination programme in the capital, Luanda in February and the WHO says almost six million people have been vaccinated in Angola, which has a population of 24.3 million.