Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS and Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) wrote a guest column for New African where they discuss how “[g]ood health is vital not only for personal wellbeing but also for any country’s economic development.”

They write, “How do we ensure that the continent’s incredible source of human energy and capital drives future growth, well-being and prosperity, not only on the continent of Africa but globally? Investment in health is key.”

The article also mentions the Healthcare and Economic Growth in Africa report, a joint publication of UNECA, GBCHealth and Aliko Dangote Foundation which was launched in February 2019 at the Africa Business: Health Forum in Addis Ababa:

“The recent Healthcare and Economic Growth in Africa report launched at the Africa Business: Health Forum in Addis Ababa shows that in around half of the countries in Africa, 36% or more of total health expenditure is from out-of-pocket payments. A survey last year of patients at a government hospital in Uganda discovered that 53% of their households had to borrow money and 21% had to sell possessions to pay for treatment.”

Read the full article from New African at this link.