Emergency medicine in the Comoros Islands.

Abstract

The Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros lies off between Madagascar and the Southeast Coast of Africa, and comprises a group of three islands with a total population of 651,901. The average annual income per capita is US$ 470 and life expectancies at birth are 59.3 years for men and 63.9 years for women. It became independent from France in 1975 and for the past 17 years, Comorians have made significant progress in improving their healthcare system. The islands are frequently beset by natural disasters such as active volcano eruptions and hurricanes which resulted in the development of a special Emergency Response Program with the United Nations Disaster Management. The main focus of emergency medicine is disaster management and hospital-based clinical practice. There is a paucity of literature on emergency medicine in Comoros and this is the first article to report the current status of emergency medicine in Comoros Islands.