By Omar Bah
A recent Afrobarometer survey has revealed that a resounding majority of Gambians want President Adama Barrow’s government to guarantee healthcare for every citizen, even if it means raising taxes.
The polls signalled a pivotal shift in national priorities amid rising medical costs and strained public health facilities.
It revealed that 67% of respondents, spanning nationwide prioritise universal healthcare access over keeping taxes low.
“Health is life; without it, no development matters,” declared Mariama Ceesay, a mother of three from Brikama, echoing sentiments from over 2,000 surveyed households.
According to the survey, health ranks as the most important problem that Africans want their governments to address, overtaking unemployment at the top of citizens’ policy agenda for the first time in at least a decade.
The new report, based on 45,600 interviews across 38 African countries including The Gambia in 2024/2025, shows that Africans overwhelmingly say their governments should ensure health care for all, even if doing so requires higher taxes.
Most citizens do not have any form of health insurance and say they worry about their ability to obtain and afford needed medical care.
About two-thirds of citizens report that they or a family member went without medicines or medical treatment at least once during the previous year.
Among respondents who had contact with a public hospital or clinic in the past 12 months, many report difficulties accessing medical care and cite shortages of medical supplies, long wait times, and high costs.
According to the survey’s key findings, on average across 38 surveyed countries, 38% of respondents cite health among their top three priorities for government action, placing it ahead of unemployment (33%) as well as education, the increasing cost of living, infrastructure/roads, and water supply (all 23%).
However, seven in 10 Africans (70%) say their governments should ensure that all citizens have access to adequate health care, even if that means raising taxes while only 20% of respondents report having any form of medical-aid coverage.
Gabon stands out with the highest rate of insured respondents (83%), followed by Ghana (72%), Morocco (71%), and Tunisia (70%).
The report added that more than half (53%) of Africans say they worry “a lot” that if they or someone in their family gets sick, they will not be able to obtain or afford needed medical care. Another 35% say they worry “somewhat” or “a little”.
It also indicated that almost two-thirds (65%) of Africans say that they or a family member went without needed health care during the previous year, including 26% who say this happened “many times” or “always”.
Among Africans who had contact with a public clinic or hospital during the previous year:
Half (51%) say it was “difficult” or “very difficult” to obtain the care they needed.
Majorities report encountering a variety of other problems, including long wait times (79%), a lack of medicines or other supplies (71%), facilities in poor condition (58%), and/or absent doctors or other medical staff (56%).
