Healthcare and economic growth in Africa

Abstract

Health spending in Africa remains largely inadequate to meet the growing healthcare financing needs and the rising healthcare demands, creating a huge financing gap of $66 billion per annul The slowdown in economic growth and high public indebtedness across the continent have restricted the fiscal space for the public financing of health. with the average debt-to-GDP ratio increasing by 15 percentage points between 2010 and 2017. The achievement of the health goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Africa Agenda 2063 demands countries take a fresh look at healthcare financing. The crowding in of the private sector in healthcare financing is an important channel for improving health outcomes, enhancing labor productivity, creating employment, and accelerating progress towards the continental and global health goals, while leaving no one behind.This report serves as a background document to the African Business: Health Forum, providing a strategic direction that enables African countries to better engage with the private health sector and thereby accelerate the health status of African people.