- Only one in seven Malians (14%) say they have medical aid coverage. o Most of those who have medical aid obtain it through national (31%) or public sector (29%) insurance. o Seven in 10 medical aid holders say they are satisfied with their coverage. o Among those who don’t have health insurance, the most common reasons are a lack of awareness of available insurance schemes (33%) and an inability to pay for it (17%).
- More than eight in 10 Malians (82%) say they worry about obtaining or affording medical care when they need it, including 58% who say they worry “a lot.”
- Most citizens (83%) say the government should ensure universal access to adequate health care, even if it means higher taxes.
- Among respondents who had contact with a public health clinic or hospital during the year preceding the survey, a majority (57%) say it was easy to obtain the medical assistance they needed, though 9% say they had to pay a bribe. o But many report encountering problems at the facilities they visited, including unaffordable care or medicines (59%), long wait times (44%), a lack of medicines or supplies (32%), facilities in poor condition (25%), and absent medical staff (25%).
- Moreover, almost half (47%) of all respondents say they or a family member went without medicine or medical treatment at least once during the preceding 12 months, including 22% who say this happened “many times” or “always.”
- Health ranks as the No. 1 problem that Malians want their government to address.
- Even so, two-thirds (67%) of citizens think the government is doing a good job of improving basic health services. o A similar majority (68%) say they trust the Ministry of Health “somewhat” or “a lot.”
- Nine out of 10 Malians (89%) say parents should be required to vaccinate their children against infectious diseases such as measles and polio.
Mali has recorded gains on a range of health indicators in recent years, including infant, under-5, and maternal mortality and life expectancy (World Health Organization, 2025; UNICEF, 2025). In 2018, the country introduced an ambitious universal health insurance plan (Mathauer et al., 2019). Yet access to quality health care remains a major challenge, with a shortage of qualified personnel and inadequate funding exacerbated by years of political instability (World Bank, 2024; Touré, Boivin, Diarra, Diabaté, & Ridde, 2022; United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, 2025; Arie, 2019). Rural areas are particularly underserved, as more than half of medical doctors work in the capital, Bamako (Sangare et al., 2021).
The country’s long way to go is reflected in its score of 41 out of 100 on the World Health Organization’s (2024) Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index, placing it below the African (44) and global (68) averages.
This dispatch reports on a special Afrobarometer Round 10 survey module focusing on health care. Findings in Mali show that health ranks as the most important problem that citizens want their government to address. Only about one in seven adults have medical aid coverage, and most citizens express concern about being unable to obtain or afford medical care when needed. Overwhelmingly, they believe the government should ensure universal access to adequate health care, even if it means higher taxes.
Citizens who had contact with a public clinic or hospital during the year preceding the survey report mixed experiences: While a majority say it was easy to obtain the care they needed, many report encountering problems such as unaffordable care or medicines, long wait times, and inadequate supplies. Almost half of Malians say someone in their family went without needed care during the previous year.
Even so, two-thirds of citizens approve of the government’s performance on improving basic health care and express trust in the Ministry of Health.
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