Cost of Healthcare in Africa Soaring High, with 384m Pushed into Poverty, Says WHO

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that many African countries have continued to witness skyrocketing healthcare expenditure this making medical treatment inaccessible to many.

It said that Africa presently accounts for over 20 percent of the world’s population facing financial hardship due to health costs, and nearly a quarter of global health-driven poverty.

Quoting latest global UHC report, WHO said that more than 423 million people in Africa faced financial hardship in 2022 due to out-of-pocket health spending, with over 384 million pushed into, or further into poverty.

In a message to mark this year’s Universal Health Coverage Day, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, said that cost of medical services has remained unbearable while out-of-pocket payments still dominate health financing within the African region.

“Today, as we mark Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day under the banner Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it! We are reminded that health is not a privilege for the few. It is a fundamental human right and should be accessible to all.

“Yet, for too many people across the African Region, the cost of care remains a barrier that determines whether they seek treatment, delay it, or forgo it entirely.

“Out-of-pocket payments still dominate health financing in much of our Region. In 31 Member States, they account for more than a quarter of all health expenditure; in 11 countries, more than half; and in two countries, more than 70%.

“These financial pressures force families into impossible choices, between care and food, between medicines and school fees, between dignity and survival,” he said.

While highlighting difficulties being faced by households, WHO said the report showed that many of them are selling assets, postponing care, or slipping deeper into vulnerability.

“The same report also highlights encouraging progress. Between 2015 and 2022/23, the African Region improved across all components of the UHC Service Coverage Index: maternal and child health, infectious and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and service capacity and access.

“Africa recorded the world’s strongest gains in NCD service coverage, driven significantly by lower tobacco use.

“These advances show what is possible with sustained commitment.

“But progress is uneven, and financial protection remains our most stubborn challenge. High health costs continue to undermine efforts to reduce poverty, prevent disability and increase survival. Women, children, older persons and rural households bear the greatest burden.

“On this UHC Day, I call on governments, partners, civil society and communities to accelerate the reforms that will make health care affordable for everyone.

“Our priorities must include: increasing domestic investment in health to reduce the burden from out-of-pocket spending, expanding universal prepayment and risk-pooling systems, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable and strengthening primary health care, which remains the most equitable and cost-effective path to UHC.”

In addition, the WHO called for more investment in the health workforce, facilities, supply chains and data systems to ensure not only access to care, but access to quality care.

It urged nations prioritize equity, to reach communities that are consistently left behind, improving transparency and accountability, using disaggregated data to track progress and direct resources where they are most needed.