We want to give back!
August 2017 - Executive Insight is dedicating time and funds on a pro-bono basis to help broaden access to quality healthcare. This is obviously our purpose on client projects. But after a couple of more successful years, we wanted to use some of the generated resources to make a contribution to a patient population that is usually not covered in our projects. This decision is based on our will to make a real impact on the health and lives of those in need.
We thoroughly evaluated several and found an appropriate partner organisation: One Family Health (OFH). This organisation helps nurses set up franchised primary health clinics in underserved communities in Rwanda. On average, OFH clinics have reduced walking times to healthcare in local communities by more than an hour. By increasing access to basic medical interventions, OFH clinics play a crucial, often lifesaving role in the communities they serve. And that is badly needed: According to a 2010 WHO report, 45% of deaths of children under 5 years occurred in Africa. It also stated that “nearly 30’000 children are dying every day from diseases that could easily be treated if they had access to a basic range of essential medicines”. In developing countries, this access stood at 35% though.
Also the challenges of emerging economies differ a lot from developed countries: They face the high costs of developing a health system while there is poverty, violence, negative environmental factors, and a weak infrastructure. Their daily fight against elementary health problems is made worse by the rise of non-communicable diseases. At the same time, wealth increases and unhealthy lifestyles evolve.
The main goal of our involvement with this project is to enhance the monitoring and evaluation capacities of OFH and thus turn the entire network into a more efficiently running system
We see the need to improve the system to monitor and evaluate data for several reasons: First, a strong system for tracking progress toward goals is critical to good business management. Second, every stakeholder involved adds to this need from a very own perspective. The better OFH communicates figures and positive results achieved, the easier it is to attract donors or investors. Creating confidence in the sustainability of the OFH business model will please government organisations (job creation) and attract new franchisees that want to start a save business. And last but not least, a better monitoring of the performance of each clinic, be it sales, debt refund, patients and diseases cured, etc. makes it possible to proactively manage disease outbreaks for example based on flag measures.
Leveraging our vast experience and expertise in healthcare consulting, we can add real value here
We will start by refining a logic model for OFH based on the theory of change. Working from this framework, we will define KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and a Scorecard for top management and country manager of the OFH organization. That being established, we will get into the measurement and how to implement it from an IT point of view. A comprehensive reporting framework will ultimately boost performance and increase the impact the OFH network has.
So in short, we want to support One Family Health in closing the healthcare gap, empowering nurses in Rwanda as entrepreneurs, increasing access to solid healthcare and enabling better long-term health outcomes for those most vulnerable. If you would also like to contribute to OFH’s success as an individual or as a company, please write to onefamily.rwanda@gmail.com.
About One Family Health
Using a franchised clinic model, OFH improves access to essential medicines and basic healthcare services in underserved communities. OFH clinics deliver high-quality care to treat and prevent the most common causes of community illness, such as respiratory infections and parasites. OFH’s public-private partnership with the Ministry of Health and participation in the national health insurance program links OFH clinics to the public health system and ensures the affordability of care for the poorest communities.
OFH’s program helps nurses set-up franchised primary health clinics in underserved communities in Rwanda. On average, OFH clinics have reduced walking times to health care in local communities by more than one hour. By increasing access to basic medical interventions, OFH clinics play a crucial, often lifesaving role in the communities they serve. OFH supports nurses to become entrepreneurs - they love what they do, and can become financially independent. OFH provides services to support the dedicated nurses that run OFH clinics, such as site selection, training, and procurement. OFH also enables nurses to use an electronic clinic management and health record system, which supports processing of health insurance claims and allows constant monitoring of each clinic’s finances, drug utilization, inventory, and disease management.
OFH began operations in Rwanda in late 2011. Since then, it has grown into a dynamic network of more than 100 Health Posts across 16 districts, providing care to more than 1.2 million Rwandans. The goal is to open 500 clinics across Rwanda, targeting communities with the most limited access to healthcare. Future expansion plans include Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia; OFH’s long-term vision includes 11 countries where OFH could make affordable, quality care accessible to more than 20 million people for less than $2 per capita.
