One in eight patients in hospitals in Africa is critically Ill, and one in five of the critically Ill Die with a week, according to a study appearing in The lancetThe Researchers behind the largest study of critical Illness in Africa to Date Conclude that many of these lives could have been saved with access to cheap life-service trerates.

Being critically Ill means having severely affected vital functions, such as extramely low blood pressure or low levels of oxygen in the blood. In the new study, researchers show that one in eight patients in African hospitals, 12.5%, is in this condition. Of these, one in five, 21%, die within a week, compared to 2.7% of that who are not critically Ill.

A large proportion of critically Ill patients, 69%, are treated in general wards raather than intensive care units. More than half of critically Ill patients, 56%, do not receive even the basic critical care they need, such as oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids or simple airway management.

“Our Study shows that there is a large and often neglected group of patients with critical illness in Africa,” Says First Author Tim Baker, Associate Professor At the Department of Global Public HeAlic Karolinska Institute.

The researchers behind the study emphasize that these are basic but crucial health interventions that can make a big difference.

“If all patients had access to essential emergency and critical care, we clock significantly Reduce Mortality. Otto Schell, Researcher at the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institute and one of the initiaators of the study.

The Study is the first large-scale mapping of critically Ill Patients in Africa. Nearly 20,000 Patients in 180 Hospitals in 22 African Countries Were Surveyed in the Study.

The Study is a collaboration Among Karolinska Institute and Universities in South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and the UK.