Korede Abdullah 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Africa has just 0.26 dermatologists per 100,000 people, about 23 times fewer than Europe, exposing a major shortage of specialist skin-health services across the continent, a new global study has found.
The Global Access to Skin Health Observatory Study, published in JAMA Dermatology, found that the African Region of the World Health Organisation (WHO) had the lowest dermatologist density among the regions assessed.
The figure translates to roughly one dermatologist for every 383,000 people, compared with a global average of 2.66 dermatologists per 100,000 people and an estimated 5.63 per 100,000 required to provide adequate specialist care.
The study, conducted by the International League of Dermatological Societies in collaboration with L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, examined 158 countries representing 97 per cent of the world’s population.
It found that 91 per cent of dermatologists in responding African countries practise exclusively in urban areas, compared with 79 per cent globally, leaving people in rural and remote communities with fewer opportunities to access specialist care.
The study also found that 94 per cent of African countries reported insufficient healthcare-provider capacity to manage skin diseases, while none met the estimated dermatologist workforce benchmark.
The disparity was particularly stark among countries with broadly comparable populations.
Australia, with about 27 million people, has more than 600 dermatologists, compared with about 18 in Niger. Japan, with a population of roughly 130 million, has more than 7,000 dermatologists, compared with about 200 in Ethiopia.
The study said the shortage was contributing to greater reliance on primary-care doctors, nurses, pharmacists and community health workers to manage skin conditions, even though many frontline providers receive little or no formal dermatology training.
Training capacity is also limited. About 46 per cent of African countries have no dermatology training programme, restricting efforts to expand the specialist workforce.
Globally, more than two billion people live with skin diseases, while only one in six countries has sufficient dermatologists to meet population needs.
Dr Esther Freeman, the study’s principal investigator, vice-chair of the International Foundation for Dermatology and associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, said the findings provided a data-driven picture of disparities in access to skin healthcare. “Where people live continues to influence access to skin healthcare,” she said.
The study recommended expanding regional dermatology training, strengthening the skills of frontline healthcare workers and using telemedicine and artificial intelligence to extend specialist expertise to underserved communities.
About the Author
Hope Ajayi 
Oluwatobi Adu