Governments Need the Private Sector to Advance UHC

October 3, 2024

Reflections from?Zeynep Kantur Ozenci

Global Head of Health

Dear Friends,

I am particularly excited about this month's interview with David Clarke of the World Health Organization (WHO). He talks about the importance of engaging the private sector to achieve global health targets, particularly universal health coverage (UHC). Despite the significant progress made, we are still far from achieving these goals. There is an increasing recognition of the role played by the private sector in bringing critical expertise and resources and governments can and should create enabling environments to steer this capacity toward achieving the UHC goals.

This is why the work WHO is doing with the Progression Pathway for Governance of Mixed Health Systems is so important. It goes hand in hand with the work that the World Bank Group and other development finance institutions are doing in strengthening public and private health sectors and supporting coordination between the two. Having the public and private sectors work together is necessary to better channel investments and to help build trust and raise standards of governance, quality, and ethical behavior.?

Another initiative that inspires responsible decision-making is Ethical Principles in Health Care (EPiHC). It's a platform for healthcare companies to commit to 10 universal ethical principles for healthcare delivery. EPiHC's success is evident from its collaboration with the International Health Federation during the World Hospital Congress in Rio, Brazil.

In this month's video spotlight, Silven Chikengezha, IFC's Global Sector Lead for Health Services and the head of the EPiHC Secretariat, shares his views on leveraging the platform. Today, EPiHC has over 370 signatories from more than 100 countries, a clear sign of its scalable impact in building trust and addressing ethical issues in healthcare.

We are excited about IFC's 10th Global Private Health Conference, which will take place on February 18-19, 2025, in Bali, Indonesia. We are looking forward to welcoming investors, healthcare providers, researchers, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and innovative technology solution providers for building accessible health systems.

Best,

Zeynep

“Ministers of Health must decide what they want to achieve with the private sector and recognize that the private sector can be a great source of capacity and innovation.”

IFC interviewed David Clarke, Team Leader of Systems Governance and Stewardship at the World Health Organization in Geneva, about the importance of leveraging private sector resources to achieve public health goals. Clarke also outlined the WHO Progression Pathway , which was developed to help governments collaborate with the private sector to close gaps in healthcare.?

Read the David Clarke Interview Here .

EPiHC SPOTLIGHT

This month’s spotlight is on EPiHC! Silven Chikengezha, Global Sector Lead of Health Services and the head of the EPiHC Secretariat, invites healthcare leaders to join the EPiHC collective to promote ethical conduct in the global health sector. Hear what Silven has to say.?

? Watch Silven’s EPiHC Video Here !

GENDER EQUITY IN HEALTH

In 2008, four women co-founded Hemen Maternal and Children’s Specialty Medical Center, a women-led institution that has become one of Ethiopia’s largest specialty healthcare providers. In partnership with IFC, Hemen conducted a comprehensive Corporate Gender and Inclusion Assessment in 2021, which led to gender-inclusive policies to ensure equal pay and enhance career development opportunities.?

Check out the case study to learn how these efforts solidified Hemen’s market position as a provider of high-quality care for women, by women.

RECENT EVENTS

Zeynep, Silven, and Charles Dalton, Global Sector Health Specialist, attended the International Hospital Federation ’s 2024 Congress in Rio, Brazil. Led by Zeynep, the team represented IFC and the EPiHC secretariat at a working lunch to explore the impact of ethical decision-making on strengthening operations, managing risk, and improving access to quality care. Charles also moderated a popular panel, “Financial Sustainability of Healthcare—Top of Mind for Everyone,” to explore how governments, healthcare providers, and insurers can contribute to financially sustainable healthcare systems.?

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Isabelle Portebois Benjelloun, Global Sector Lead of Life Sciences, and Subir Basak, Global Sector Life Sciences Specialist, will attend the 35th Convention of Pharmaceutical Ingredients (CPHI) in Milan from October 8 to 10. CPHI convenes pharmaceutical and supply chain professionals to collaborate on solutions that improve patient outcomes. If you plan to attend the CPHI, please get in touch via email!

Zhendong Song, a Senior Industry Specialist, looks forward to attending The MedTech Conference in Toronto on October 15-17. The event will bring together industry leaders and pioneers to discuss artificial intelligence, digital health, and other innovations in global health.?

Charles Dalton will speak at the Global Health Exhibition in Saudi Arabia from October 21 to 23. The conference delves into the future of healthcare across the ecosystem. Charles will participate in discussions on the impact of investments on health access and equity in a rapidly changing world.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Healthcare companies need data to boost efficiencies, control costs, and provide a higher standard of patient care. Charles Dalton and Raju Narayan, Global Sector Health Specialists at IFC, wrote an article for the World Bank on IFC’s Healthcare Benchmarking program. This program collects data so healthcare professionals have the information they need to improve performance and patient outcomes. Check out the blog to learn about the key findings.

Carla Ricchetti, Global Sector Lead for MedTech, was interviewed by the World Intellectual Property Organization about the connection between finance and intellectual property in promoting health equity and advancing innovation. She said, “A country’s intellectual property ecosystem and an organization’s intellectual property portfolio are always at the heart of IFC’s risk assessment during the due diligence phase and help guide our investment decisions.” You can read the full interview with Carla here .

Charles Dalton also wrote a blog post about how important it is for health systems to prioritize diagnostic capabilities. “There is a need for better collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, and the private sector working together to align resources and innovative thinking. Overall, it confirms that systems and not silo thinking is required.” You can read more about his insights into diagnostics regarding the rise in non-communicable diseases here .

INVESTMENT NEWS

To train more qualified doctors in Brazil, IFC recently announced an investment in Afya , a leader in education and solutions for medical practices in the country. The loan will help Afya’s expansion plans, particularly in regions with a low doctor density. “…in addition to strengthening our capacity to train qualified doctors in the country, we plan to improve primary care health indicators and communities where we operate, confirming our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 3," says Virgílio Gibbon, Afya's CEO.

?10TH GLOBAL PRIVATE HEALTH CONFERENCE?

We are thrilled to have recently announced plans to host our 10th Global Private Health Conference in Bali, Indonesia, from February 18 to 19, 2025. The event will convene investors, healthcare providers, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and medtech and healthtech players to discuss strategies to advance universal health coverage. We’ll also explore private sector investment strategies that impact patient outcomes, among other critical issues challenging health systems in low- and middle-income countries!?

Check out our program and register today !

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For more information, e-mail [email protected]

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