Health & Education

With significant improvements in education over the past decade, Algeria now has a primary enrolment rate over 95% and has made considerable progress in eliminating illiteracy, the rate of which is now under 8% for those aged 15-24. However, with more than 70% of the population under the age of 30, the number of students entering the school system every year is expected to continue to rise. The private sector is also taking on an increasing role in providing specialised degrees and absorbing the rising number of higher education students. In health care, significant improvements have been made since independence and more are under way to increase access to quality services and align the sector with international standards. However, demographic growth, increased urbanisation and changes in lifestyles have resulted in a rise in chronic diseases. Therefore, Algeria will invest AD619bn (€5.94bn) under its five-year plan (2010-14) to improve health care access and quality, including upgrading existing hospitals and building specialised infrastructure. This chapter contains interviews with Brahim Benabdeslem, Director, Algiers Management Development Institute (MDI); and Abdelaziz Ziari, Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform.