The International Hospital Federation (IHF) and Africa Healthcare Federation (AHF) announced that they have entered into a partnership to increase the participation of healthcare leaders from African countries in the IHF and other global hospital and healthcare initiatives.
Speaking from the IHF’s Secretariat office in Geneva, Switzerland, Ronald Lavater, CEO, emphasized the significance of this partnership in advancing the IHF’s vision of improving global healthcare through excellence in hospital leadership:
“The IHF is pleased to be partnering with AHF to increase our activities and membership in Africa, an important strategic initiative for us.”
The IHF connects members from over 100 organizations, comprising more than 20,000 hospitals and healthcare services around the world. AHF’s community of non-state healthcare stakeholders has representation in 27 countries from all regions of Africa. The IHF and AHF’s partnership will include projects related to collaborative working, conferences and events, and professional training programs. The joint goal is to increase the participation of African healthcare leaders in international activities focused on knowledge exchange, good practice, and collaboration in healthcare delivery and hospital management.
From its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Amit N. Thakker, President of AHF, expressed his belief in the benefits of a unified approach:
“Collaboration is vital in strengthening health systems and improving healthcare service delivery. As we enter into this partnership with IHF, we are excited and optimistic that, by working together, we can accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.” – Amit N. Thakker, AHF President
The IHF looks forward to welcoming more hospital and health service organizations from African countries to international events, in particular the World Hospital Congress 2021, which is a hybrid event taking place in Barcelona (8–11 November) with full virtual attendance possible. Registrations are also open for a virtual knowledge exchange on green hospitals and sustainability in healthcare on 7 October.
About the International Hospital Federation (IHF):
Established in 1929, the IHF is an international not-for-profit, non-governmental membership organization with the vision of “A world of healthy communities served by well-managed hospitals and health services where all individuals reach their highest potential for health.” Its members are worldwide hospitals and healthcare organizations having a distinct relationship with and contribution to the provision of healthcare. IHF provides its members with a platform for the exchange of knowledge, strategies and experience as well as opportunities for international collaborations with different actors in the health sector. IHF recognizes the essential role of hospitals and health care organizations in providing healthcare, supporting health services and offering education. Its role is to help international hospitals work towards improving the standard, quality and level of their service delivery to the population with the primary goal of improving the health of the society.
About the Africa Healthcare Federation (AHF):
The Africa Healthcare Federation (AHF) is the private health sector umbrella organization for non-state healthcare stakeholders in Africa. It is a collaborating partner to the African Union Department of Social Affairs on matters related to the private health sector on the continent. Founded in 2016, the federation has an active membership of 27 countries across the five regions on the continent. The federation has strong relationships with World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, United Nations (UN) and several other development partners. AHF won the prestigious “Association of the Year” award in 2019 presented by the Association Awards Africa.
