The African continent has experienced several dynamic interventions to address the needs of its rapidly increasing population. Health care delivery in Africa has encountered various challenges. Remarkable efforts, over the years, have been undertaken by government, NGOs, international bodies and individuals. However, there continue to be some pressing challenges with health care delivery in Africa.

Accessibility, being it financial, geographical, and health professional, persistent as the greatest challenge to health care delivery in Africa.  

According to AbayomiAjayi, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Nordica Fertility Centre Lagos in Nigeria, Access is still the greatest challenge to health care delivery in Africa. He reported that, fewer than 50% of Africans has access to modern health facilities. Many African countries spend less than 10% of their GDP on health care. Also, there is a shortage of trained health care professionals from Africa because many of them prefer to live and work in places like the U.S. and Europe.

Even though most countries in Africa are increasingly becoming urbanized, there’s still a great proportion of Africa’s population in rural areas. It is arguably true that most of Africa’s health care challenges are recorded in rural areas. Inadequate health care professional to care for the rural folks, not to say the situation is exceedingly better in urban centers.

Several social innovation projects have been undertaken in some parts of Africa to address the issue of accessibility. The Kheth’Impilo project,for example, operated a nationally accredited training programme for high school graduates to become pharmacist assistants in four provinces of South Africa. Once qualified, they can work as pharmacists in the public and private sectors under the direct supervision of pharmacists.

Technological innovations are transforming how health care is delivered in Africa. This has given more people in remote areas access to better care. Likewise, easier access to data helps both doctors and policymakers make better-informed decisions about how to continue to improve the system.Even with these strides, the continent’s health care system faces big challenges. As remarked by Azure TariroMakadzange, an infectious disease physician at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and also at the University Of Zimbabwe College Of Health Sciences, There should be an opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter the health delivery space in Africa.

In an era where Africa, as a continent, is dealing with a double burden of disease due to rapid urbanization and increased Westernization of lifestyles among its populace causing an increase in the risk factors that cause noncommunicable diseases. Health professionals need to be ever ready to contribute their quota to the improvement of health care. Health managers and ministries need to constantly assess and evaluate policies and protocols. Government need to prioritize health needs of its populace, for a healthynation is a wealthy nation.

Written by Kwasi Akowuah