The challenges for public health in ACP countries and especially in the African regions are enormous. 740 million people, representing 11 % of the world’s population, continue to bear 25% of its disease burden. Leading causes of morbidity and mortality are malaria, HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases. The proportion of children dying before the age of 5 ranges between 11.3 and 29.6%. The problem is compounded by a severe shortage of health workers. The workforce density is 0.8 per 1000 population, compared to a world average of 4.2. The health worker shortage is further exacerbated by the exodus of health professionals to more developed countries. Rates of health workers who have migrated from countries in Africa range from 8% to as high as 60% (1).

Furthermore, in many countries out-of-pocket payments are high in relation to household incomes and are a major factor driving poverty. The cost of treatment for an adult with HIV/AIDS, in addition to lost income due to time off work, can drag a whole household below the poverty line.  Considerations and statistics of this sort prompted 11 networks of universities in Africa and Europe to attempt tackling these issues through EDULINK projects. They all share the common goal of addressing inadequate health systems and a crisis in health personnel by developing health education training, practice and research.

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(1)  World Health Organisation statistics 2008