Public-private partnerships can aid enhance healthcare in Africa | @guardianletters

It is surprising, but maybe not surprising, to read of the affect of the public-personal partnership amongst the Lesotho government and Netcare on healthcare across Lesotho (Finance deal threatens Lesotho’s hospitals, says Oxfam, 7 April). Even so, public-personal partnership can operate in an African healthcare setting, and this has been demonstrated more than the last six many years by the accomplishment of the Health Improvement Undertaking Zanzibar (HIPZ) in transforming companies on the island.

Since 2006, an modern model of collaboration among HIPZ and the Zanzibar government has noticed a huge improvement in care at Makunduchi and Kivunge hospitals. This partnership improves healthcare provision without business obtain for folks or corporations, or the accruement of debt, with an ultimate aim of long-phrase sustainability.

The success of this model has essential a number of vital variables: a commitment to fully comprehend local requirements, an open-minded and pragmatic approach by the HIPZ team (recognising the importance of listening to neighborhood employees), steady investment in neighborhood staff, and transparent monitoring of outcomes, but with the acceptance that improvement is slow and often hard to demonstrate in the brief phrase. This largely unknown model of collaboration demonstrates a stark contrast to that observed in Lesotho.
Dr Jon Rees, Mr Ru MacDonagh, Roma Walker, Dr Nick Campain
On behalf of the HIPZ Trustees

• Your report rightly raised issues about healthcare charges in Lesotho. The Planet Bank Group is functioning closely with the government to recognize price-powerful remedies to increase health for the people of Lesotho.

We would like to clarify a number of key points. The public-personal partnership overall health network – which serves a quarter of the population – accounted for almost 35% of the complete overall health price range. Although this is a considerable allocation of the budget, it is about the same percentage invested on the facilities beneath the outdated system. Most essential, the network is delivering far better benefits.

As the post noted, maternal and infant mortality charges have declined and the good quality of care presented has improved at the new health services. These essential achievements have driven better-than-anticipated demand at the network – which includes 4 main clinics and the only referral hospital open to all citizens.

We are functioning in a number of areas to support the government of Lesotho to even more increase access to large-good quality health services for girls and youngsters, specially these residing in remote regions. We welcome the chance to work with all stakeholders so that everyone in Lesotho, particularly the poorest, is capable to entry the crucial health providers they deserve.
Laurence Carter
Director, PPP transaction advisory solutions, Global Finance Corporation

• The letter you published referring to the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (9 April) is misleading. We are an independent Uk-registered charity and Mr Blair, as our founder and patron, carries out his work in Rwanda on a professional-bono basis. As this kind of he is properly placed to comment on the nation – its progress and its problems. AGI derives no revenue from its partnership with the government of Rwanda. A quick appear at our internet site (www.africagovernance.org) will tell you that we perform with many African governments to help them drive the improvement that lifts their individuals out of poverty.
Nick Thompson
Chief executive, Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative

Public-private partnerships can aid enhance healthcare in Africa | @guardianletters

Public-private partnerships can help improve healthcare in Africa | @guardianletters

It is shocking, but perhaps not surprising, to read of the impact of the public-private partnership between the Lesotho government and Netcare on healthcare across Lesotho (Finance deal threatens Lesotho’s hospitals, says Oxfam, 7 April). However, public-private partnership can work in an African healthcare setting, and this has been demonstrated over the last six years by the success of the Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ) in transforming services on the island.

Since 2006, an innovative model of collaboration between HIPZ and the Zanzibar government has seen a huge improvement in care at Makunduchi and Kivunge hospitals. This partnership improves healthcare provision without commercial gain for individuals or corporations, or the accruement of debt, with an ultimate aim of long-term sustainability.

The success of this model has required a number of crucial factors: a commitment to fully understand local needs, an open-minded and pragmatic approach by the HIPZ team (recognising the importance of listening to local staff), consistent investment in local staff, and transparent monitoring of outcomes, but with the acceptance that improvement is slow and often difficult to demonstrate in the short term. This largely unknown model of collaboration demonstrates a stark contrast to that seen in Lesotho.
Dr Jon Rees, Mr Ru MacDonagh, Roma Walker, Dr Nick Campain
On behalf of the HIPZ Trustees

• Your article rightly raised concerns about healthcare costs in Lesotho. The World Bank Group is working closely with the government to identify cost-effective solutions to improve health for the people of Lesotho.

We would like to clarify a few key points. The public-private partnership health network – which serves a quarter of the population – accounted for nearly 35% of the total health budget. While this is a significant allocation of the budget, it is about the same percentage spent on the facilities under the old system. Most important, the network is delivering better results.

As the article noted, maternal and infant mortality rates have declined and the quality of care provided has improved at the new health facilities. These important achievements have driven greater-than-expected demand at the network – which includes four primary clinics and the only referral hospital open to all citizens.

We are working in several areas to help the government of Lesotho to further expand access to high-quality health services for women and children, especially those living in remote areas. We welcome the opportunity to work with all stakeholders so that everyone in Lesotho, especially the poorest, is able to access the essential health services they deserve.
Laurence Carter
Director, PPP transaction advisory services, International Finance Corporation

• The letter you published referring to the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (9 April) is misleading. We are an independent UK-registered charity and Mr Blair, as our founder and patron, carries out his work in Rwanda on a pro-bono basis. As such he is well placed to comment on the country – its progress and its challenges. AGI derives no profit from its partnership with the government of Rwanda. A quick look at our website (www.africagovernance.org) will tell you that we work with several African governments to help them drive the development that lifts their people out of poverty.
Nick Thompson
Chief executive, Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative

Public-private partnerships can help improve healthcare in Africa | @guardianletters