The verdict is out. Private sector driven medical businesses can work effectively with Government Health efforts in providing quality medical services that are not only widely available but also cutting edge.
This is the strongest statement that could be picked up from various panel discussions that were held on Day One of Second Annual Medland Hospital Health week. The event attracted the United Nations, Zambia’s Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care and the African Union among other notable international organizations.
This year’s event, like the previous one, has attracted medical professionals in various aspects of the industry from surgery to public health to infectious disease control. Medland Executive Dr. Mohamed El Sahil expressed delight and great joy in his opening remarks as he indicated that the two-day event would provide all stakeholders an opportunity to join together and promote awareness about the value of health and wellbeing in our lives.
According to Dr. Mohamed, “this year’s health week theme is “Healthcare Alphabet: It all starts with A.” The Doctor believes that Accessibility is the first A that springs to mind understands that accessibility cannot be achieved unless we examine it from other perspectives, including affordability, availability, and many more A.
Enshrined in Medland’s vision is the motivation for this year’s event. Dr. Mohamed share the hospital’s vision which according to him is based on the Triple W approach: “Women and Youth Empowerment, Waste and Water Management, and Wellness and Health. The Wellness and Health component is built around three pillars: accessibility, affordability, and agility”.
However, it is clear that despite having an ambitious vision that Medland has, they cannot do it alone. It requires key stakeholders such as Government to get involved hence the need for the hospital to be agile.
He believes agility will assist them in looking forward, bridging gaps, and most crucially, building a proactive atmosphere between diverse sectors, which is critical if we are to be true to ourselves and to the Universal Health Coverage implementation pledge.
The doctor provided examples of their agility that include being first private entity to appoint a Universal Health Care Coordinator in the world, empowering of women through various free programmes and internal staff empowerment, deliberate climate change mitigation strategies that extend to even the menu that the hospital and several other initiatives.
The Doctor stated that “All of these examples would not be achievable without the backing of an agile administration. The Republic of Zambia, led by His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, is undergoing transformation. Yes, we may confront resistance in some areas, and dissatisfaction in others; nonetheless, we all agree that a continuing productive conversation between the public and private sectors is essential for progress”.
Furthermore, “their collaboration with the Ministry of Health has proven important because when we collaborate, we are able to save lives and provide quality medical services that compete with those supplied abroad. At Medland Hospital, they are delighted to have served and continue to treat patients from Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.”