Democracy and Development Fellow, Dr Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, has warned that Ghana’s health system is dangerously out of step with the country’s demographic profile and disease burden, arguing that it continues to operate as though it is confronting the health challenges of the 1980s.

Speaking at the JoyNews–Amalgam of Professional Bodies Speaker Series on Ghana’s health system on Tuesday, December 16, Dr Sarpong said a youthful population is being served by an outdated health model that is ill-equipped to respond to today’s health threats.

“Ghana’s demographic pyramid is young and broad. Fifty-seven per cent of our people are under 25 years, 35 per cent are under 15 years, and nearly 900,000 young people enter the labour force every year. Yet our health system still behaves as though we are fighting the battles of the 1980s,” he said.

He questioned whether current policy choices reflect the urgency of Ghana’s demographic reality, particularly as the 2026 Budget seeks to reset growth and expand opportunity.

“Health is the backbone of development. The question is simple: can Ghana grow if its young population remains underserved by its health system?” he asked.

Dr Sarpong noted that Ghana’s disease burden has shifted significantly over the past three decades, moving from predominantly communicable diseases to a more complex mix dominated by non-communicable conditions.

“Today, hypertension, diabetes, trauma, mental health disorders and cancers define our disease landscape. Yet spending choices still reflect a system dominated by malaria and diarrhoeal diseases,” he explained.

According to him, data from the World Health Organisation and the Global Burden of Disease show that since the mid-1990s, non-communicable diseases have steadily increased and now account for nearly half of all deaths in Ghana.

“This divergence intensified through the 2000s and today represents the central structural threat to national health financing, productivity, access and equity,” he said.

Dr Sarpong cautioned that without deliberate reforms to realign health spending, infrastructure and policy with Ghana’s evolving health needs, the system risks undermining national development goals and leaving large sections of the population vulnerable.

He called for a fundamental rethink of Ghana’s health architecture to reflect current realities, stressing that the country’s future growth depends on a healthy and productive population.