Cape Verde

Cape Verde has continued to develop since its independence in 1975 from Portugal, becoming the second country to graduate from least developed to a developing nation in the UN's Human Development Index. Infant mortality rate, for example, is the lowest in West Africa. However, health care in the country, in comparison to other developing nations, is still underdeveloped with low levels of trained staff and hospitals. There is provision for basic primary care but for serious and long term illnesses requiring an extensive course of drugs, evacuation is necessary (if it can be afforded).