afrol News, 12 February - Algeria has announced €20 billion investment plan to revamp the old and decaying hospitals and to mordermise its health infrastructure between 2009 and 2025.

The official at the Ministry of Health, Slim Belkessam said management of health sector has decided to set aside €20 billion for the construction of new health facilities to reduce congestion in the public health centres and to modernise the existing hospitals.

The official said the health scheme will build new hospitals, new anti-cancer centres, and maternity homes, close old hospitals and provide better coverage throughout the country.

The programme, which is funded by the State, aims to double in 2025, the rate of beds per population which currently stands at 1.7 per 1,000. The plan also include 88 new hospitals and 758 new sanitary projects.

According to the official, Algeria wants to be prepared to cope with the increase in non communicable diseases such as cancer which 30,000 new cases are reported every year, hypertension or heart disease, which have become dominant and claiming many lives in the country.

Non communicable diseases now represent 70 percent of causes of death against 20 percent twenty years ago according to national statistics.

In 2005, Algeria launched a five-year programme of public investment of €3 billion for the construction of new health infrastructure.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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