Getting the balance right in African healthcare

Monday, February 13, 2017

Although many African countries’ increased focus on strengthening their healthcare systems has led to significant gains in terms of improving health outcomes, the continent continues to struggle with huge challenges such as underfunding, dire shortages of healthcare professionals and a growing double disease burden that encompasses both communicable diseases (CDs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

According to Dr Thomas Kowallik, CEO and country president of Novartis in South Africa, building effective healthcare systems in Africa poses huge opportunities for investors in healthcare in terms of issues such as the establishment of infrastructure, and developing technology and systems to provide effective, affordable and accessible medicines and healthcare services.

He was speaking at the 2nd Future Trends Forum in Africa hosted by the company in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Healthcare a priority for economic growth: discussing Africa’s unique challenges and possible solutions, specifically around healthcare financing, and access to medicines, Professor Panos Kanavos from the London School of Economics’ (LSE) international health policy division in the department of social policy, emphasised that healthcare is top priority for economic growth by most countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: Biz Community (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
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public health