The FutureProofing Healthcare initiative, an initiative designed to enable data-driven dialogue about the future of healthcare, has launched the Africa Sustainability Index at the 2021 Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC).
Led by a panel of 10 independent African healthcare experts, the first-of-its-kind, data-driven policy tool measures the current status of health systems in 18 countries across Africa and provides valuable context as countries across the continent determine how to accelerate universal health coverage (UHC) goals and progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data can be explored online at www.futureproofinghealthcare.com.
The FutureProofing Healthcare Africa Sustainability Index presents an objective view of how health systems are currently performing and is intended to inform policies that promote sustainability and resiliency for the future.
Through publicly available data, the Index examines 76 different measures split across six categories called Vital Signs. These Vital Signs – Access, Financing, Innovation, Quality, Health Status and Wider Factors of Health – provide a holistic view of the fundamental drivers of sustainable healthcare systems.
The Index also compares approaches between countries, identifies elements that lead to more sustainable care and promotes best practices through a future-focused analysis of real-world solutions. Supported by Roche, experts from organisations including Amref, the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme /(UNDP), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated to develop the FutureProofing Healthcare Africa Sustainability Index.
“Sustainable healthcare is a key element on the journey towards UHC and will impact millions of lives in Africa,” said Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref and Africa Sustainability Index panellist. “The Sustainability Index is a useful tool in guiding stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem on where to focus efforts, make improvements and identify best practices from other countries. On behalf of my fellow panel members, it is our intention that this tool will spark conversation about actions that are needed today to create more resilient, sustainable health systems in the future.”
The findings of the Africa Sustainability Index indicate that economic strength and political stability are key drivers behind overall performance in healthcare sustainability, with most of the countries that perform well in the Financing Vital Sign also doing well in the Index overall. These countries include South Africa, Rwanda, Algeria and Ghana.
The Index also reveals that all countries analysed have numerous areas of opportunity for improvement. There are strong variations throughout the continent related to the Access and Quality Vital Signs, suggesting that targeted policies in these areas will make an impact in achieving UHC goals. Driving disparities in Access are the number of doctors and specialised healthcare professionals per capita, as well as the level of access to preventative health services. South Africa is the highest ranking country in the Access Vital Sign, followed at some distance by Libya, Zambia, and Tunisia.
Another area of focus for improvement is within the Innovation Vital Sign, which has the lowest mean score of the six Vital Signs. Innovation was defined by the panel as ‘advancement, access and application of novel technology.’ South Africa is the top performing African nation in this Vital Sign, followed at some distance by Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Still, many best practices exist at the country-level, such as creating a future-looking policy and legal environments and adopting new technologies.
As health systems across Africa currently face acute pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Africa Sustainability Index aims to identify key drivers that affect the capacity of health systems to cope with system-level strain. Data from the Index can be used to inform policies that help health systems continue to manage and ultimately recover from the crisis as well as be used as the foundation for policies that enable more resilient health systems that are prepared to address both health crises and ongoing population health needs.
The results of the Financing Vital Sign suggest that there is little difference between some countries’ healthcare financing models. However, this similar approach does not yield similar results across all Vital Signs. While there is a clear positive correlation between economic strength, political stability and the sustainability of a healthcare system, there are strong variations in Access and Quality Vital which suggests that, beyond financial reforms, targeted policies in these areas could go a long way in achieving UHC.
Prof. Glenda Gray, President and CEO, South African Medical Research Council, and member of the Expert Panel, added, “Unless we analyse the consequences of the COVID crisis, it has the potential to increase healthcare inequity, costs and inefficiency. Yet, if harnessed, it can mean better healthcare for all in more sustainable and resilient health systems. There are actions that every country can take to start on this journey today. We must work together immediately to rebuild better and give African people the care that they deserve.”
Countries included in the Index are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia.
The Africa Sustainability Index is now available on FutureProofingHealthcare.com.
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About the Africa Sustainability Index
The Africa Sustainability Index is a first-of-its-kind, online policy tool that provides a unique overview of the current status of 18 health systems across Africa, at a time when healthcare systems are under increasing pressure as life expectancy improves, the demand for healthcare services increases, and the rise in noncommunicable diseases doubles the burden already in place from communicable diseases. The Index made up of 77 different measures split across six categories called Vital Signs. These measures were identified by experts from health systems, international organisations, think tanks and academia from across Africa. The information is based on robust, credible, third-party data and was built in collaboration with and validated by an external panel of leading healthcare experts spanning health systems, policy, patient organisations, think tanks, and academia from across the continent. The Index aims to equip policymakers with data that can guide and inform the direction and prioritisation of efforts to improve health system resiliency. It offers specific, tailored insights and best practice to drive these conversations and underpin future action. The Index along with information on the expert panel and methodology is available at futureproofinghealthcare.com.
The Africa Sustainability Index is made up of 76 different measures split across six categories called Vital Signs. These Vital Signs include:
● Access: Equitable access to and coverage of healthcare to those that need it
● Financing: Funding levels that are adequate and sustainable
● Innovation: Advancement, access and application of novel technology
● Quality: Offering uninterrupted quality-assured services
● Health Status: The overall health of a population
● Wider factors: External factors such as social, economic and political determinants that impact health outcomes
About FutureProofing Healthcare
FutureProofing Healthcare is a collaborative, data-driven initiative that aims to examine the fundamental drivers of sustainable healthcare systems, compare approaches between countries, identify elements that lead to more sustainable care and promote best practices through a future-focused discussion of real-world solutions. Supported by Roche, FutureProofing Healthcare develops indices designed by leading, independent experts and serves as a resource that enables accredited, third-party data to be effectively leveraged across health systems. The aim is to support healthcare stakeholders to make data-driven decisions and evolve their health systems according to individual country challenges and priorities. The initiative began in Europe in 2018 and has since developed four indices focused on sustainability, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis and, most recently, personalised healthcare.
About Roche
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the twelfth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2019 employed about 98,000 people worldwide. In 2019, Roche invested CHF 11.7 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 61.5 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.
