Making inclusive health markets a reality
Better quality healthcare for more people
The development of healthcare is important for the development of sub-Saharan Africa’s economies, but most countries are struggling to meet the healthcare needs of their citizens due to system failure. Every year, 15 million people are pushed further into poverty because of unexpected and high healthcare expenses. At PharmAccess, we envision a future where everyone can access basic, affordable, and quality healthcare services. Even though the path towards this will not be easy or smooth, we believe in a future where that is a reality. Together with partners across the global ecosystem, our work focusses on a paradigm change, we are reimagining and redefining how healthcare is financed and delivered. We work towards delivery of universal health care (UHC). We believe that the impossible is possible when you care. This report outlines our progress in 2022. We are demonstrating that it is possible to make meaningful changes to healthcare systems in our focus countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), and Kenya. As well as leveraging our work through partnerships in other African countries and Asia.
The vicious cycle: underfunding, opacity, distrust
Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa face systems failure in healthcare. The healthcare systems are caught in a downward spiral of poor supply and demand that leads to growing inequities. When there are no prepayment mechanisms for healthcare, people face catastrophic health expenditures when they fall ill. When banks or funders are unwilling to invest in clinics, clinics cannot improve the quality of their care. Poor quality of care means patients postpone seeking the care they need. And with little information on the availability, utilization and quality of care, governments struggle to effectively allocate their limited resources.
Towards a virtuous cycle of trust
In order to break the vicious cycle and set the virtuous cycle in motion, trust is the crucial element.
Since 2006 we have been working to create a virtuous cycle of trust. We support demand-side financing programs, to improve inclusive health insurance and prepayment mechanisms. We also work to increase investment in healthcare providers, led by our Medical Credit Fund (MCF). With funds, facilities can better invest in the quality of healthcare; we support their quality improvement journey through SafeCare. And we are creating and testing innovative care models that put the patient at the center of their own care journey, generating actionable data and more trust. With more and more trust, inclusive health markets are becoming a reality.
The results of these initiatives, together with evidence gathered in the wider ecosystem, demonstrate impact throughout the virtuous cycle. This feeds into our advocacy work. We work with governments, healthcare providers, insurers, and other stakeholders to share best practices.
Our strategic objectives
We are working to drive the virtuous cycle of trust at every point, fueled by evidence that demonstrates the impact of our innovative interventions.
Partner organizations
PharmAccess collaborates and works in a conglomerate of organizations sharing its mission to provide equal opportunities for health and healthcare in low-resource settings in sub–Saharan Africa. These are, more specifically, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), the Investment Fund for Health in Africa (IFHA), and Carepay, a spin-out we co-founded in 2015. Read more below about AIGHD, IFHA, and Carepay and how they work together with PharmAccess to strengthen health systems underneath. We also work together with the Joep Lange Institute, promoting innovative health models. Their work is inspired by the life and work of Dr. Joep Lange, the founder of PharmAccess.
The Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) is pushing the boundaries of global health research, education, and policy. Building a community of global health experts in the global South as well as in Europe. AIGHD supports the efforts of PharmAccess with validation and learnings through independent research and policymaking. They equally play a crucial role in strengthening the capacity of academia from different fields including economics, medicine, and social sciences. Together they contribute to global health development and building stronger health systems. Read more about AIGHD here.
The Investment Fund for Health in Africa (IFHA) is dedicated to equity investments in the private healthcare sector in sub-Saharan Africa. IFHA focuses on developing the market for private healthcare and enabling companies to realize their potential. The work is complementary to PharmAccess advocacy efforts to drive public-private engagements in the health sector. Read more about IFHA here.
CarePay has developed a mobile and cloud-based health platform that connects individual members to payers and healthcare providers. Digitising and automating the end-to-end health insurance journey, CarePay increases efficiency, lowers costs, generates actionable data, and builds trust. Currently, more than 5.7 million people, 5,100 providers and 20 public and private payers are connected to the platform. CarePay, with M-TIBA as our consumer-facing brand in Kenya, was co-founded by PharmAccess and Safaricom in 2015. Read more about CarePay’s activities and results in 2022 here.
