Private Sector Health Alliance, HSDF, Cambridge, plug leadership & management gaps in health sector with HLA

As part of efforts to plug the leadership and management gaps in Nigeria’s health sector, the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN), Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), alongside Cambridge University, Duke University, Lagos Business School, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and EpiAFRIC, launched the Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) which aims to develop the next generation of healthcare leaders that will excel in governance, management and quality healthcare service provision.

Speaking to the first cohort of selected participants during the launch of the Healthcare Leadership Academy, Muhammad Ali Pate, co-chair, Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria said, there is leadership and management deficit at different levels of the health care system that impede the delivery of expected quality care. This developmental gap, Dr. Pate explained, is made evident by the low productivity and skill set of healthcare workers and the poor financial health of the institutions they manage.

“The Healthcare Leadership Academy recognises these challenges and is established to respond to them using an innovative approach,” Dr. Pate stated.

Muntaqa Umar-sadiq, CEO, Private Sector Health Alliance, disclosed that the Healthcare Leadership Academy is a public-private collaboration designed to institutionalize leadership as well as private sector business and financial management approaches in the public health system. ‘The HLA is an important step in developing synergies between the capabilities of the private sector and the severe gaps in the leadership and managerial capacity of public healthcare institutional leaders. He added that ‘the HLA is a bold innovation that pooled non-traditional but complimentary partnerships to build health worker and policy maker capacity and disrupt the poor health system performance.”

The Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria and Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation brokered and convened partners and institutions to develop the Healthcare Leadership Academy to incorporate leadership, quality improvement and private sector business management approaches in the provision of quality care and governance of institutions.

Dr. KelechiOhiri, CEO, Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, described the balanced scorecard approach of the program that would deliver world class content and ensure capabilities are built across four critical areas – namely, Financial Management; Leadership and Organizational Development; Quality Improvement; and Population Health – with the content adapted to the local context and a ‘field and forum’ approach that combines in-class didactic curricula with real life, hands-on projects that are relevant to their respective organisations.

The course is being delivered by global experts from Cambridge University Judge Business School, institute for Health improvement and Duke University alongside Lagos business School and EpiAfric.

Mrs. Shola David-Borha, CEO, Stanbic IBTC Bank and board member, Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, while formally inaugurating the first class of the HLA,called on other private sector companies to join the platform provided by the Private Sector Health Alliance to offer their capabilities and resources to complement government’s effort in dramatically improving health outcomes through innovation and partnerships.

Director, Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education, Ms. AfuaOsie, stated that given the commitment and partnership that catalysed the emergence of the HLA, it has the potential to be the premier institution for building leadership capabilities in the African health sector.

Founding partner, EpiAfric, Dr. ChikweIhekweazu, added that the course content will be delivered over 10 weekends by global experts who have extensive experience in teaching executives and policymakers.The first batch of participant selected for the programed were shortlisted following a screening exercise of submission by the various healthcare providers. Graduates of this flagship program will be armed with requisite skillset to bring about transformational and sustainable changes to their facilities and communities upon completion of the program in December 2015.

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