Democracy and Development Fellow, Dr Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, has warned that Ghana’s health system is out of sync with the realities of its predominantly youthful population and requires urgent structural reforms to remain relevant and effective.

Speaking at the JoyNews–Amalgam of Professional Bodies Speaker Series on Ghana’s health system on Tuesday, December 16, Dr Sarpong said the country continues to operate a health architecture designed for a different era, despite having one of the youngest populations globally.

“Ghana is a young nation living under the weight of an ageing health model. With a median age of 21.3 years, more than half of our citizens were born after the year 2000. Yet our health architecture still mirrors an earlier era—curative, centralised and slow to adapt.”

He questioned the effectiveness of Ghana’s pursuit of universal health coverage, arguing that the system still leaves many citizens behind and fails to translate policy promises into lived realities.

“We speak often of universal health coverage, the idea that everyone should receive the care they need without financial hardship. But if our system were truly built for our people, why do so many young Ghanaians still fall through its cracks?” he asked.

Dr Sarpong cited findings from the 2024 Health Annual Programme of Work and Afrobarometer surveys to illustrate the depth of the challenge.

According to him, as of 2024, 63 per cent of Ghanaians worry “somewhat or a lot” about their ability to afford medical care, while only 47 per cent said they had not gone without needed care in the past 12 months.

Although 72 per cent of respondents reported having some form of medical aid coverage, confidence in that protection remains low.

“Just 49 per cent are fairly or very satisfied with how it supports them when they are ill,” he said.

Access to healthcare, he added, remains a major barrier, with 51 per cent of respondents describing access to medical care as “difficult” or “very difficult.”

Dr Sarpong also raised concerns about system integrity, revealing that 19 per cent of respondents admitted to paying a bribe at least once to obtain medical care or services.

While 88 per cent of respondents said they use the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), satisfaction levels remain modest, with only 48 per cent expressing satisfaction with the scheme.

“These findings highlight a health system that remains financially stressed, uneven in access, and vulnerable to informal practices,” Dr Sarpong said, stressing the need for what he described as “healing-forward reforms.”

He argued that Ghana’s health recovery agenda must prioritise affordability, trust, and real access if it is to serve the country’s young population effectively and sustainably.