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The key outcome of the three-year partnership will be the creation of working groups based on four priority areas, resulting in increased partnerships, PPP projects, technology transfer and investments.
NATHEALTH-Healthcare Federation of India and Africa Healthcare Federation (AHF) signed a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase healthcare collaboration between the two federations with the potential to result in increased investment and business in healthcare Health between India and Africa.
The MoU identifies specific areas of partnership such as sustainable and medical value travel, hospital infrastructure development and diagnostics, training and research, skills transfer, and artificial intelligence and manufacturing. The main objective of this agreement is to find solutions to barriers to access to quality healthcare, build essential infrastructure for patients, take advantage of technology, address the shortage of skilled labor and medical professionals, and ways to improve outcomes. from the patients.
The Summit theme, “Fostering South-South Collaboration Between Health Federations of India and Africa to Achieve Universal Health Coverage” sends an important message that collaboration is critical to achieving the goal of universal health coverage. And it is important that key stakeholders work together to build bridges across sectors and drive new initiatives to correct infrastructure gaps, improve access to health, and outcomes. As one of the first steps after signing the agreement, both federations will establish working groups over the next year that will work closely together to promote this partnership. Both AHF and NATHEALTH will join the industry support behind this to make national programs successful while opening the doors for universal health care and expanding accessibility to health care.
Expressing her happiness, Dr. Preetha Reddy, President of NATHEALTH and Vice President of Apollo Hospitals, said: “The partnership between NATHEALTH, the Health Federation of India and the Health Federation of Africa is a significant step that is being taken to create an entirely new trajectory in Building Robust Health Ecosystems of the Future. Without question, the future of healthcare will be determined by the actions and decisions we make today, and the path to it will require us to rise above conventional silos and move forward with the power of collaboration, partnerships, and innovation. . Innovative transnational platforms, such as this partnership, will enable the exchange of skills, technologies, research, medical education, bridge the gaps in our health systems, and bring us closer to our shared goal of universal health coverage. “
Dr Amit Thakker, AHF President and Africa Health Business Executive Chairman, said: “These extraordinary times brought together health professionals from around the world and paved the way for federations from all countries to come together and chart a way forward to address some of the – Standing structural gaps. It has also opened the doors to collaborative efforts to create mechanisms through which public-private partnership models can be developed seamlessly and in a sustainable manner. Effective partnerships are a necessary part of creating successful healthcare systems and allow each player to do what they do best while benefiting from what others do best. It provides the opportunity for win-win situations that have an impact greater than the sum of their parts. “
Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Senior Vice President of NATHEALTH and Founder and Chief Radiologist of Mahajan Imaging and Clare Omatseye, Vice President of AHF and President of the West African Private Health Federation, who also spoke at the summit, emphasized that the key outcome of This triennium the association will establish working groups to take advantage of four priority areas that will result in an increase in associations, PPP projects, technology transfer and investments.
Key dignitaries addressing the audience included: Dr. Harsh Vardhan ji, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Government of India and Chairman of the WHO Executive Board, HE Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs, Commission of the African Union; V. Muraleedharan, Honorable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Government of India; Hon Dr. Lia Tadesse, Minister of Health, Ethiopia; HE (His Excellency) Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam, Dean of African Missions in India, a host of senior government health officials from India and the African continent, leaders of the healthcare industry and heads of global multilateral agencies.
In partnership with NATHEALTH, PwC India released their report titled ‘Unlocking the Potential of India-Africa Collaboration for Healthcare Innovation’ at the event. The report highlights the importance of innovative healthcare approaches that can transform traditional healthcare systems by ensuring quality, accessible and affordable healthcare for all. The report also exposes how developing regions such as India and Africa can join forces to address existing structural gaps in healthcare and develop a strong, efficient and sustainable healthcare delivery model to bring universal healthcare coverage to their people. The report suggests that governments, development partners, private sector organizations, start-ups and non-governmental institutions must work together to harness the potential of innovation in health care. It also identifies potential areas for India-Africa collaboration in the health sector, which will allow the sector to emerge stronger and be ready for the future.
The following four areas have been identified as key thematic areas under the MoU based on extensive discussions and technical input from summit knowledge partners PwC India and IPE Global:
- Sustainable Medical Value Travel (MVT) – By virtue of this, the focus will be to provide transparency on referral mechanisms / fees and the need to travel for treatment, for smooth immigration and VISA processing. Both parties will also focus on the easy availability of information on health facilities, including differences in quality and cost, the standardized rating mechanism, etc. and existing accreditations, and will also seek the establishment of grievance redress mechanisms. Establishing partnerships for diagnostic testing, emergency air evacuations will also be a priority.
- Skills Transfer and Training: NATHEALTH and AHF will map skills transfer and training requirements to identify key gaps that need attention and analyze the potential of e-learning and the use of other technologies (simulation, augmented virtual reality, etc.) to reduce costs. They will also work to establish twinning programs between Indian and African institutions and enhance the outreach and potential for capacity building of local healthcare companies and financial intermediaries.
- Infrastructure development for hospitals and diagnostics: For this, the two federations will identify gap areas by measuring industry interest at both ends for investments and will categorize the forms and policy interventions needed to safeguard investors’ interests and highlight the alternative financing mechanisms available such as PE / VC funds. , financing the viability gap, impact investing, etc. Under the agreement, the working group will also look at ways to improve the business environment by working with governments to expand public-private partnerships.
- Manufacturing, Research, and Artificial Intelligence – Key focus areas under this include addressing the need to harmonize regulatory requirements and building expertise for GMP pharmaceutical manufacturing. Ways to reduce market fragmentation to achieve economies of scale and discuss how to create regional economic communities thereby creating regional markets. The focus will also be on increasing R&D investment in Africa through collaborative research, twinning programs including galenic development, API manufacturing hub, etc. Areas with potential for leapfrogging using artificial intelligence and machine learning will also be explored through a pilot initiative. associations.
The working group will consist of seven to nine members and will be led jointly by representatives of AHF and NATHEALTH. Members will include industry partners, development partners, government representatives, key experts in their individual capacity or as part of relevant institutions and knowledge partners. In the first quarter, each working group is expected to present an action plan in their area that details the objectives and scope of the subject area, the key results expected at the end of 1 year, the policy areas to be covered and the key stakeholders to be involved.
An India-Africa partnership underscores a mutual interest in improving access and quality of health care to achieve universal health coverage in both countries. India has experience, from which Africa can learn, and Africa has much to contribute to the Indian health sector. The private sectors on both continents are organizing, unifying and an integrated partnership will provide opportunities to improve the quality of care and promote the accessibility and affordability of health care.
