The statistics speak for themselves – we must act I believe mental health is an illness no different from others, like cancer or a heart condition. As with many chronic ailments, mental health conditions can be environmentally induced, genetic, or driven by lifestyle choices. However, due to acceptance, culture, stigma, and belief, most people find it harder to talk about mental health illnesses. Mental Health often has no easy fix, and additional support measures are usually required. Prescription pills are often an essential part of treatment for mental health problems, but access to knowledge and support makes living with a mental health condition easier. Let's be honest. I am sure we all know someone that could have led or could be leading a more fulfilled life if they had received earlier access to mental health care. Like any disease, mental health problems can have far-reaching consequences on the individual, family, relationships, and ability to study or work. The COVID period has exposed the frailty of mental health services in developed and developing countries. Unfortunately, the situation is much worse in poorer countries. The following statistics from Project HOPE (www.projecthope.org) confirm the challenge: · 25% of the global population suffers from some form of mental illness · Two-thirds of people with mental health conditions don’t receive the care they need · People with serious mental illness are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular and metabolic diseases · 300 million globally are affected by depression · 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition I recently spoke with Melanie Okuneye, CEO of Akoma Health (www.akomahealth.net). This Africa-focused mental health telehealth start-up aims to provide individuals and corporate employees with on-demand therapy and support from the comfort of their homes. Ms. Okuneye shared several alarming challenges facing Africa, including: · Ghana has only 16 psychiatrists for a country of 30 million people · 80% of Nigerians can’t access the mental health services they need Those working to strengthen health systems need to be sure to incorporate mental health into the health system equation. It isn’t easy given the complexity of managing mental health correctly. It means taking a holistic look at the health and medical education systems to see how to incorporate mental health diagnosis and care better and ensure enough people are available to treat patients. At the same time, and as with any modern health system strengthening, we need to consider how digital health may help expand access to mental health resources. So, let’s not ignore mental health. Instead, health systems must be designed to support all disease and illness types. Health System strengthening will be the over-arching topic at the Global IFC Health Conference 2023 in Cape Town.
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Please see below. We are looking to expand our Life Science team.
STC - Senior Life Sciences Sector Specialist
IFC - International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC
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Please take a look below and watch the video. So important. The work and focus of Health Governance International is what we need to foster the strengthening of health systems globally. A really great initiative.
A great milestone in our journey to enhance wise, smart and ethical governance in healthcare in Africa and support growth and prosperity in the continent with an outstanding partner Strathmore Business School (SBS) #africa #healthcare #growth #governance #healthgovernance James Arthur Rice Health Governance International LLC
SBS - Health Governance International MoU Explained
https://www.youtube.com/
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Please see below. An excellent insight how incentivizing healthy living can have significant health benefit. At a time when the world is waking up to the fact the next pandemic is already here and has been for a while in most countries (NCDs), the type of approaches being adopted by Vitality can demonstrate how public and private insurance can benefit from this data mindset. A major concern for me is that many governments are missing a huge opportunity. Integrate Social and National Health Insurance into the overall health system as a catalyst to drive change, actively manage disease risk and not just a mechanism for financing and payment. Social and National Health systems sit on data and with good coding and accurate analysis the disease risk profile of a population can be better understood and managed. Couple this with programmatic activities and incentives for prevention care you benefit your population from the potential of either not getting sick or better managing those that are sick. The population management benefits are huge and you can derive better value for every $1 spent if you look at population health on a rolling basis and not an “annual result”. The approach and methodology being adopted by Vitality can be used in all population income group settings it is not just for the private sector. At IFC we have investments serving mid to low populations that are helping individuals to better manage their illness through wellness like approaches. Our client in Mexico Clinicas Del Azucur is demonstrating amazing results for its patients in managing diabetes and hypertension. Again like Vitality they are using data to understand disease risk and tailor individual solutions seeking to actively manage their condition and live better.
CEO of Vitality Health International | Global Head of Health Insurance for Discovery Limited – building a healthier future through Shared-Value Insurance
Over the past 200 years, there have been huge gains in life expectancy across the world, due to the impact of various public health measures and medical advancements that have led to life-saving treatments. Yet, at the same time as this impressive progress, we see clear evidence that across the globe, populations seem sicker than at many points in human history, largely due to the rise of chronic diseases of lifestyle. These two factors are driving a growing gap between our lifespans – how long we are expected to live, and our healthspans – how long we can expect to live in good health. This growing gap has a significant impact on us as individuals, our families, and causes a huge cost burden for health systems across the globe – affecting public payers (governments or national insurance systems) and private payers alike. Behavioural science-based programmes, like Vitality Global, that incentivise healthier lifestyles are a critical part of the solution. Our Vitality data shows that this deep integration of a science and evidence-based behaviour change programme creates substantial incremental surplus right across the insurance and healthcare value chains, resulting in rich benefits and value to all stakeholders – customers, shareholders, and healthcare providers as well. If we wish to live out our longer expected lifespans in good health, we need a more active approach to reducing health risks and preventing disease much earlier. Our own behaviour needs to change, but so does that of healthcare providers and systems. Employers can also reap major benefits in productivity and employee engagement by encouraging healthier lifestyles of their employees; and for governments, this approach will be critical in the efforts to manage the growing financial pressures of ageing populations and higher healthcare costs. Vitality Health International #LiveLifeWithVitality #HealthAndWellness #HealthcareData #Healthspan
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Please see below. Our latest quality webinar. A great topic!
Skeptics say implementing improvements in healthcare quality does not directly impact the bottom line. Others passionately disagree. With almost no documented evidence that provides clarity on the need for investments in quality, it is difficult to know. Join IFC's IQ-Healthcare team on May 3, 2023, 12:00 – 13:30 GMT, for a "Quality Investments Improve Financial Health? The Business Case for Quality" webinar where we will discuss: 1. How to capture financial returns on investment in quality? 2. How to measure enhanced compliance and financial outcomes? 3. How to prioritize quality improvement areas – based on risks or cost savings? Found out the most effective ways to demonstrate the business case to senior leaders and shareholders and why investments in healthcare quality are critical. Register today: https://lnkd.in/ePahBmN4 #healthcare #investment #quality IFC - International Finance Corporation
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Please see the link below to an excellent interview in our April newsletter. There is also a link to sign up to the newsletter.
This month, IFC had the pleasure of interviewing Marco Billi, Vice President of International Business and Innovation of Eurofarma. We discussed his grandfather's vision for the company and the importance of #innovation to sustain success in pharma. Billi shares insights into Eurofarma's #digitaltransformation and where he hopes the company will be 100 years from now. Read the interview here! https://lnkd.in/epsSbNRk And consider signing up for our monthly newsletter to receive these interviews and other IFC updates directly to your inbox. https://lnkd.in/ed29RvzA #futureofhealthcare #healthcare #quality #health #pharma #pharmaceutical IFC - International Finance Corporation Carmen Valéria De Paula Zeynep Kantur Ozenci Farid Fezoua #digipharma
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This really is a game changer. The added good news it is also going to be manufactured in Ghana. BBC News - Ghana first to approve 'world-changer' malaria vaccine https://lnkd.in/eUuxcAXE
Ghana first to approve 'world-changer' malaria vaccine
bbc.co.uk
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This World Health Day, lets make a vow To help those who need care right now Let's not forget the ones who lack Access to healthcare, that's a fact. Let's strengthen the systems, make them great Improving value, don't hesitate Coordinating care, for everyone So that health for all, can be won We must thank the professionals who work day and night Their commitment to health is quite the sight Let's give them the praise they deserve For their tireless work, let's preserve Integrated systems, the way to go Public and private, they'll help us grow Collaboration is the key To build a care jigsaw, that's the guarantee Innovation is the name of the game To bring new solutions, it's not lame Let's support entrepreneurs with the right idea And investors who can bring them near So let's think out the box, and finance new ways To bring better health, all our days This World Health Day, let's work as one To make sure better health is for everyone. (My words with creativity from ChatGPT!)
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Amazing insight into how drones can shape the future. The video is not sponsored by the manufacturer and because it is Mark Rober the insight is delivered in a fun and understandable way. I still have questions over long term commercial viability for these types of initiatives when grant funding stops but that's a conversation for another day. The video confirms the huge potential benefit for health services in emerging markets when planned as an integrated part of the health system.
Amazing Invention- This Drone Will Change Everything
https://www.youtube.com/
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A link below to an excellent report talking about the State of Women and Leadership in Global Health. Women account for 70% of the health workforce but less than a 1/4 of senior leadership roles! https://lnkd.in/e2gHkjfm
Policy Report Draft 3
womeningh.org
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HANDS-OFF? The growing exodus of health professionals from Africa. The shortage of health professionals in Africa is a huge problem and it is likely to worsen in the coming years. Wealthier countries are actively -- some would say aggressively – recruiting African health workers through special visa and licensing programs. The UK, for example, offers a “health and care” visa for foreign health professionals; and Canada has a special process for certain skilled professions, like nurses. But in an attempt to fill their own shortages, wealthier countries are making things worse for poorer countries in Africa, creating a "brain drain" as nurses, doctors, and other health professionals emigrate for new opportunities. This exodus is exacerbating in Africa existing healthcare shortages that are having a negative impact on public and private health service provision. A WHO survey released last year found that the ratio of health workers to people in Africa is about a quarter of what is needed to provide essential healthcare and achieve universal health coverage. The loss of health professionals makes already weak health systems – like in Africa – even worse. In the UK, the lack of sufficient nurses may create a backlog for some treatments, but patients still have a place to go. In some parts of Africa, when a nurse leaves, the whole clinic can be at risk. There is no easy solution. Everyone has the right to try to improve their lives and emigration certainly can help the person who is being recruited and their family. But shouldn’t wealthier countries hiring these workers also take steps to strengthen the health system that helped train and develop the person that’s being hired? For example, what about contributing to more training schools, creating online programs, and supporting partnerships with other medical schools to expand capacity? My view is -- and I am happy to be proved wrong -- that the UK's scarce skills visa to encourage health worker migration, along with the efforts by other countries to target the continent, will have a significant long-term negative impact on Africa by exacerbating existing shortages of skilled professionals and impeding economic development. We all need to be more vocal on these issues and I call on stakeholders to move this discussion forward given how the developed world continues to undermine health service provision in Africa through these types of initiatives. Africa has suffered too much from the imbalance of dealing with Western nations that have often taken and not equally given back. Africa can become the global training ground for health professionals, but the developing world has to help these countries put in place the building blocks that can benefit the local health system first and support health worker training.
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