Health PPPs in the News

 With private health insurance growing, rising investment in private for-profit hospitals and an increasing number of informal providers in the eastern and southern African countries, there is a need to pay attention to this sector as part of measures to achieve universal health coverage. However, according to EQUINET, the for-profit private health sector cannot be left unregulated in Africa. Read more.

 Implementation of Uganda’s newly approved Public Private Partnerships in Health (PPPH) policy is important if the country is to accelerate achievement of Millenium Development Goal 5 (improve maternal health), opines Maureen Agaba of Uganda Debt Network. Read more.

 Medicine stock-outs could soon be history, courtesy of a PPP arrangement in South Africa, which involves contracting private pharmacies to supply patients from public hospitals with medicine by the Ministry of Health. Read more. However, critics think this is a superficial and an ill-thought affair that would waste taxpayers’ money.

 Dr. Unati Nemuhuyuni, head of public-private partnerships at Metropolitan Health, South Africa, urges all partners in health not to lose sight of innovative PPP models to address concerns on the state of rural health care. While many local PPPs are not implemented at scale, they provide valuable lessons on which to build. Read more.

 “I am inspired, I am telling you,” were the words of Christine Kapkusum, an investor at the HANSHEP Health Enterprise Fund expo attended by over 100 innovators, investors, and donors in Nairobi, Kenya on June 22, 2013. Watch highlights from the event.

 The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is helping fulfull Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete’s promise of tackling transportation problems facing rural health facilities by distributing tricycle ambulances. Read more.

 In Nigeria, the Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has called for the establishment of more foundations and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to address the growing needs of the nation’s health sector. Read more.

 In a recent G8 meeting in Northern Ireland this June, global health groups noted that PPP models have accelerated progress towards Millenium Development Goals. National governments, NGOs and the private sector will have to be creative and commit to collaboration to see this success. Read more.

 Healthy and sound partnerships have seen Samsung Electronics Africa officially expanding into the health care sector with the addition of Samsung Health & Medical Equipment. Read more.

 A debate is raging in South Africa as to whether the National Hospital Insurance Scheme (NHI) for all citizens is achievable or overambitious. The scheme is being explored as a possible solution for health care provision for the poor in South Africa.

News from N4A Members

Tour of Network for Africa website webinar, September 10, 2013, online. Register here for the webinar.

Watch Dr. Timothy Musila, director of the PPP committee for the Ugandan Ministry of Health, describe the challenges and opportunities confronting implementation of the new public-private partnership in health policy.

Network for Africa is on social media: Like us on Facebook at  and follow @N4A_HealthPPPs on Twitter.

Announcements & Publications

• Join the Market Development Approaches Working Group.

• GBCHealth and World Vision breakfast meeting, “Unfinished Business” – Partnering to Reach Every Woman and Every Child, September 24, 2013, New York City, U.S.

• International Conference on Family Planning, November 12-15, 2013, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Second East Africa Healthcare Federation (EAHF) Conference, March 4-6, 2014, Nairobi, Kenya

• African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA) conference, March 11-13, 2014, Nairobi, Kenya

• WHO issues new HIV recommendations, calling for earlier treatment.

• mHealth researchers and implementers have jointly developed an mHealth and information and communications technology framework to describe innovations in the reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health field. This technical concept provides a tool that lays out twelve common mHealth applications used as health systems strengthening innovations across the continuum of care. Download the framework.

• A recent publication demonstrates how the introduction of affordable medical insurance can reduce out-of-pocket spending, helping the poor and contributing to attainment of universal health coverage. Download the working paper.

• The World Health Report 2013, Research for Universal Health Coverage, argues that everyone should have access to the health services they need without being forced into poverty when paying for them. View the full report.

For discussions on articles and studies found in this newsletter, log into or join the Network for Africa’s community of practice and share your comments, observations, and ideas with other members. This space allows members to share tools, research, and experiences in working with the private health sector in Africa.