Health care in Antigua and Barbuda
Health care in Antigua and Barbuda is provided through four institutions maintained for the care of the sick and aged. Holberton Hospital, with 135 beds, is the only public acute care facility. The only private hospital is Adelin Medical Center. Other facilities include the Fiennes Institute for the aged, with 100 beds, and the Mental Hospital, with 150 beds. In addition, 9 health centers and 18 dispensaries are located throughout the country. As of 2004, there were an estimated 17 physicians, 328 nurses, and 18 dentists per 100,000 people.
The infant mortality rate in 2005 was estimated at 22 per 1,000 live births, up from 12 in 1998. The average life expectancy was 71.9 years in 2005. As of 1995, 100% of the population was immunized against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus and 94% against measles, mumps, and rubella. The leading causes of death included cancer, cardiovascular disease, and trauma.
By the end of 2003, 271 cases of HIV/AIDS had been reported. As of that year, the annual incidence of AIDS was 209 per million people. The government approved a national policy on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases in 1997.