Africa Union to give diplomatic status to private hospital association
The African Union is close to granting the African Healthcare Federation diplomatic status, say informed sources. This means that the private sector will soon have a seat at the table on a lot of policy discussions. But the World Economic Forum’s attempts to get the private sector involved in primary care is less impressive.
The AHF has been formed by merging the five existing healthcare federations on the continent – the East Africa Healthcare Federation (EAHF) and the West African Private Health Federation (WAPHF) and upcoming northern, central and southern private health federations, to create the first pan-African organisation representing the interests of private health sector players. Amit Thakker has been elected head of the new body.
The AHF is pushing for two things: greater recognition and cooperation with the private sector which it represents and secondly for the removal of much of the bureaucracy which ties up the continent. One source said: “At the moment any new drug deployed in Sub-Sahara Africa needs permission from 50 different national states. That is madness, given the size of these markets.” The AHF is also keen to push for Pan-African accreditation for doctors and nurses.
Read our write up of the conference from October 2017 here.
But apparently, the World Economic Forum’s attempts to involve the private sector in primary care are less successful. Its Primary Care Coalition has got bogged down in a series of pilots and complex committee meetings.
Our Analysis: We increasingly feel that the door is open for the private health care services sector in Africa. What is decided and discussed at the African Union and what happens on the ground are two very different things. But in just about every reform-minded country across the continent the private sector is being given a bigger role. That reflects the fact that increasingly countries are viewing the sector as a national asset, a key industry which needs to nursed and built up much as steel or manufacturing used to be. It is hard to argue with this, given the growing scarcity of medical staff and the importance of remittances from nationals working abroad. This is hard to assess, but the World Bank puts remittances to the Philippines at $33bn, with nurses making up the largest service sector within that total.
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