Based on the conversations, discussions and presentations that took place within the symposium, we walked away with four primary insights: 

1. Women’s Health is Not Prioritized Enough

Even though we have come far in terms of gender equity, women are still often not considered when it comes to creating policy, researching medications, pricing services, ensuring access, and encouraging healthy behavior. Screenings for illness and disease that primarily affect women are often not yet readily available to the needed levels and/or covered by national health insurance. Sexual and reproductive health is not enough of a priority, as maternal mortality rates are still much too high in every corner of the world. Despite past growth and improvement, we still have a very long way to go. 

2. Preventive Care is the Way Forward

Dr. Anne Kihara said it best in the session on Reducing the Cancer Threat for Women when she expressed her desire for there to one day be no need for curative medicine because illnesses like cancer will one day be address preventively. Of course, this may never fully happen, but it is the direction we need to go. 

This requires policy change (ensuring preventive care visits/interventions are covered by national health insurance, for example), increased access to health facilities, as well as behavior change on the part of the patients themselves. 

3. Understanding the Problem is a Vital First Step 

One of the event sponsors, Hologic, is a med-tech device company specifically focused on women’s health. Along with Gallup, they have conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of women across the world, which has resulted in an impressive Global Women’s Health Index. They will continue doing this annually for the next several years and are making the information public so that all can benefit. 

As Tanja Brycker, Hologic’s VP for Strategic Development, expressed, we cannot address a problem if we do not understand what the problem is. This Global Women’s Health Index helps us do just that: understand what the challenges are when it comes to women accessing healthcare. We often think we know what women need when it comes to health interventions, but no one has bothered to speak to the women directly – until now. We need to know what problem we’re solving. We don’t have the luxury of making assumptions. 

4. Let’s Make This Topic Obsolete

We can only hope that one day a symposium focused on women’s health will no longer be needed. The ultimate goal of an event like this is to take one step closer to that reality. This may be something we will never fully realize, but that does not mean we shouldn’t do our best to try.

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The group discussed possible collaborations between Kenya and the Czech Republic and pathways for the countries to work together. The Czech Republic then visited Tanzania and Uganda and were connected to AHF members to meet with in those respective locations.

Speaking from the IHF’s Secretariat office in Geneva, Switzerland, Ronald Lavater, CEO, emphasized the significance of this partnership in advancing the IHF’s vision of improving global healthcare through excellence in hospital leadership:

“The IHF is pleased to be partnering with AHF to increase our activities and membership in Africa, an important strategic initiative for us.”

The IHF connects members from over 100 organizations, comprising more than 20,000 hospitals and healthcare services around the world. AHF’s community of non-state healthcare stakeholders has representation in 27 countries from all regions of Africa. The IHF and AHF’s partnership will include projects related to collaborative working, conferences and events, and professional training programs. The joint goal is to increase the participation of African healthcare leaders in international activities focused on knowledge exchange, good practice, and collaboration in healthcare delivery and hospital management.

From its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Amit N. Thakker, President of AHF, expressed his belief in the benefits of a unified approach:

“Collaboration is vital in strengthening health systems and improving healthcare service delivery. As we enter into this partnership with IHF, we are excited and optimistic that, by working together, we can accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.” – Amit N. Thakker, AHF President

The IHF looks forward to welcoming more hospital and health service organizations from African countries to international events, in particular the World Hospital Congress 2021, which is a hybrid event taking place in Barcelona (8–11 November) with full virtual attendance possible. Registrations are also open for a virtual knowledge exchange on green hospitals and sustainability in healthcare on 7 October.

You can also find this press release on the IHF website, here.

Enjoy this video to hear our Chairman, Dr. Amit N. Thakker, speak about the history of AHF, the high demand for medical equipment and devices on the African continent, and the opportunity for skills sharing with Japanese health sector.

With the lowest worldwide healthcare spendings, doctors shortages, dominance of rural areas, and poor infrastructure, African countries take advantage of digitalization to ensure universal access to medical services. Healthcare innovations – which are “nice-to-have” for many high-income countries – can save lives here. We talk with Dr. Amit N. Thakker, President of The Africa Healthcare Federation, about the continent under transformation.

What are the main challenges facing health systems in Africa? What gaps have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic?

The health system in Africa has been on a build-up over many years. The fulfilment of the third goal included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – universal health coverage promoting affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare services – is the desire of almost the entire continent. In this mission, both state and non-state stakeholders are engaged as there are different reimbursement systems across Africa. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, it was clear that weakness that existed for a long time in African countries must be addressed quickly in order to fight with the crisis.

There are two main groups of challenges: geographical and financial. The first is related to distance, human resources, infrastructure and quality of services. While some capital cities have well-equipped healthcare facilities, a large majority of the population has reduced access to care services.

Another barrier is the healthcare budget. In the high-income countries of Europe, health expenditures per capita amount to 4000-5000 USD. In the USA, it’s around 10000 USD, while in African countries, it doesn’t exceed 100-200 USD per capita. Sometimes it’s even less.

Another issue is the vast disproportion between those who can afford access to private healthcare and those with no access to medical services. Many citizens have dramatically experienced this issue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of that, we have to consider supply constraints. Africa is almost entirely dependent on the import of pharmaceutical and medical equipment. It was challenging to compete on a global scale during the crisis to buy the most needed devices and medicines. For example, we don’t have a single COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer in Africa and rely on partners like India, China, Russia, Europe, and the US.

Which of the challenges you mentioned can be addressed by digital health solutions?

The most obvious challenges are those related to the distribution of health services. Digital health takes healthcare closer to the people. And this is the key benefit – with the support of technology, we can quickly reach more people from underserved groups.

Whether we use telemedicine, e-pharmacy, or telemonitoring of patients, the geographical barrier disappears. Digitalization enables us to replace the “one-to-one” care model with the “one-to-many” model, which is a remedy for lack of infrastructure, shortages of healthcare professionals, and transportation costs. Besides, it offers many more advantages like access to electronic health records, continuity and coordination of care.

Digital health – through the access to data – introduces a new approach to evidence-based policies so the decision-makers can follow the epidemiological situation and plan actions customized to the needs.

I would also say that digital health can impact financial barriers by making healthcare efficient whilst reducing costs. When the health services costs fall, they will become more affordable. It’s also about offering people self-managed flexible care plans adjusted to the local conditions and individual needs.

Does the existing technical infrastructure and legislation allow digital health solutions to be fully applied? Is there awareness of the benefits of using technology, both in health systems and at the policy level?

There has been a paradigm change in Africa recently. Many countries established ICT departments in the ministries of health which are the backbone of the digital strategies, including the investments in the necessary infrastructure. It has become a priority on the political agenda to set the pace for innovations.

However, access to the internet still remains an issue while mobile phone penetration is very high. As soon as we have more affordable broadband, digitalization will gain momentum.

In terms of policy, things are also moving forward. The regulatory frameworks have already been designed and fast-tracked in many countries. In Kenya, for example, the e-health act introduces the certification of telemedicine providers. The shortlisted companies not only enjoy the broader outreach but are also actively changing the digital health landscape by cooperating with insurance companies to include virtual consultations in care plans.

Although it’s the private sector that drives the digital rollout in Africa, it is now on top of the agenda of many governments to accelerate the adaptation of innovations. The policymakers realized their role to set up common standards for interoperability and data safety to ensure seamless data exchange, the interconnectivity of different solutions, and the privacy guidelines. Of course, the details of the policies differ from country to country.

How would you describe the attitude towards digital technologies? Do individuals and doctors trust emerging technologies?

We are at the stage where early adopters try new things and act as digital transformation leaders. However, in healthcare, this readiness to adopt innovations is lower than in other economic sectors. Some doctors are still reluctant to use keyboards.

But this is changing as more and more professionals recognize the power of technology. The advantage we have in Africa compared to other parts of the world is the average age of healthcare workers – up to ten years lower than in Europe. This helps us in reducing scepticism, expanding the group of technology enthusiasts and implementing novel technologies.

Why should international startups that are developing digital health solutions – like mobile health apps – be interested in entering the African market?

Africa is open for business, whereby the demand for better healthcare services is rising. This is a crucial driver for market growth. The other factor is new, trusted partnership opportunities between local entrepreneurship and international innovators that offer the right solutions addressing healthcare challenges at the right price. Business partnerships make it easier to understand the local market environment and scale the solution to cultural and regulatory specifics. I’m sure that Africa is the next big thing when it comes to digital health.