Health in Eritrea

Eritrea uses a three-level health system. Community-Based Health Services (CBHS) and Community Health Workers provide health education, basic assessment and treatment, immunization, antenatal care, disease surveillance and referrals close to the community. Health Stations provide preventive, health-promoting and basic curative care. Community Hospitals provide outpatient and inpatient treatment, maternity care, basic surgery and the first major referral level. Zoba Referral Hospitals and National Referral Hospitals handle diagnostics, specialist care, operations and more complex clinical treatment. The Ministry of Health leads planning, regulation and implementation. Zoba and Sub-Zoba structures coordinate services, while Kebabi and Village Health Committees support community coordination. Community Health Workers are sometimes described locally as barefoot doctors. Government reporting in 2026 referred to more than 300 health facilities and more than 3,000 community health agents, although current facility lists and service availability can vary. Public health priorities include malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, neglected tropical diseases, diarrhoeal illness, acute respiratory infections, malnutrition, maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases, mental health and antimicrobial resistance. Prevention includes health education, hygiene and water-related measures, school and community outreach, nutrition screening, family planning, antenatal care and the national immunization programme. The reported DTP3 vaccination coverage was about 95% in 2024, and under-five mortality was reported at 34.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same year. A person normally starts at the nearest suitable community service, Health Station or Community Hospital. Staff refer the case to a Zoba or National Referral Hospital when medicines, diagnostic equipment, specialist skills or treatment capacity are unavailable locally. Referral registers, community-to-facility referrals, inter-facility referrals and counter-referrals support this pathway. Ambulance transport is generally available and was reported as free to patients in the RMNCAH reporting context, but shortages of vehicles, fuel, maintenance, equipment and communication can delay transport. No reliable nationwide emergency telephone number is established by the available evidence. The Ministry of Health regulates medicines under Proclamation No. 36/1993 and publishes a National List of Medicines, including the 2025 edition. Procurement, quality control and availability remain system priorities. Stock shortages and unequal distribution can affect treatment, so a prescribed medicine may not be available at every facility. Mental health, rehabilitation and palliative care are included in national planning and primary-care development, but trained staff, specialist services and follow-up remain uneven. Government policy describes public health care as free and intended for the whole population, with attention to equality across gender, age, disability and living conditions. Reliable evidence for separate national rules covering foreigners, private treatment, remote consultations, individual patient-rights procedures, consent procedures or complaint channels was not established in the available research. Follow-up after a hospital stay, childbirth or treatment for a chronic condition should use the referral and counter-referral pathway, although continuity is more difficult in remote areas.