Despite considerable progress in providing adequate healthcare to African citizens, the World Bank reports that 80 percent of Africans rely on public health facilities that often suffer from chronic shortages of medicines and skills. The World Health Organisation reports that half of all children under five who succumb to pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis and malaria live in Africa.
How do we urgently address inadequate delivery of healthcare to Africa’s citizens? I believe that implementing effective healthcare on the continent requires all stakeholders to collaborate in a more effective and efficient way to maximise the scarce resources.
At the core of Africa’s healthcare challenge is a network problem: no single organisation can solve it in isolation, especially when governments are poorly equipped and face a deficit in skills, funds, and political will. This is all compounded by the fact that the continent is made up of 54 culturally and geographically diverse countries. We must transcend historical, geographical and organisational boundaries if we are to fulfil Africa’s promise…..more
