Medicine Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

15Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Events, Medicine, South Africa News

Pioneering progress amid resource constraints in African radiology and oncology

Experts are concerned about resource limits and insufficient radiology skills and services in Africa, particularly for cancer detection and treatment. As the continent grapples with the rising burden of cancer, the intersection of oncology and radiology emerges as a complex landscape where cutting-edge advancements contend with pressing issues of accessibility, affordability, and healthcare system economics. Dr. Paul Rischbieter is a medical authority specialising in healthcare, diagnostic, and interventional radiology. Rischbieter is the chairperson for Africa Health Congress’ upcoming Radiology and Imaging conference, where he and other radiology experts will engage in an in-depth exploration of the most critical topics in the field. The conference is scheduled for Cape Town in October....

16Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine, South Africa News

MMH & Partners Africa develops three-tiered response plan to eradicate & prevent continued spread of mpox virus in SA

The executive leadership team of MMH & Partners Africa can officially confirm that the local healthcare consultancy has developed a three-tiered response plan to eradicate and prevent the continued spread of the mpox virus in South Africa. The response plan emphasizes the urgent need for a consolidated effort between healthcare leaders, private sector stakeholders, and public entities to address this public health crisis effectively. The plan highlights three key pillars: Diagnostics (Detection), Therapeutics (Treatment), and Vaccines (Prevention). Each strategic pillar aims to emphasise the action steps that will be required to effectively prevent the needless loss of life as a result of the mpox outbreak across different regions in Africa. Pillar 1: Upscale Local Laboratory Capacit...

25Jun

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Main, Medicine

Africa needs to increase vaccine production 73-fold to reach its vaccine sovereignty target

Analysis from The ONE Campaign finds that just 1.1% of Africa’s vaccine supply actually comes from Africa, with Asia providing over half and Europe over one-third of Africa’s vaccine supply. The African Union and Africa CDC proposed an ambitious target to manufacture 60% of Africa’s immunization needs on the continent by 2040. Our new analysis tracks progress toward this goal, identifies the challenges and offers a 6-point plan for accelerating vaccine sovereignty in Africa. Key figures: 98.9% of Africa’s vaccine supply is produced outside the continent, leaving Africa vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and vaccine inequality. In 2021, African leaders prioritized vaccine sovereignty, setting a target to produce 60% of Africa’s vaccines by 2040 in Africa. To meet...

18Jun

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Kenya News, Medicine

De-risking vaccine production in Africa presents substantial challenges, but not insurmountable

Several public and private stakeholders in our healthcare sector were shocked to learn of Moderna’s decision to abandon its plans to establish a vaccine production facility in Kenya last month, raising repeated concerns about vaccine accessibility and production capacity in Africa. “The indignation and frustration that many felt at reading these headlines places us among the thousands who, like most Africans, view Moderna’s decision as confusing and, once again, part of the trend of relegating Africans’ health and wellbeing to the whims of corporate interests,” shares Michael Mynhardt, CEO at MMH & Partners Africa. He adds that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, people living in Africa were aware that the continent was partly, and in some cases wholly reliant on external actors for its ...

Revolutionising African Healthcare: Pharma Distribution, Private Hospitals, and Telemedicine

13May

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine, Tech

Revolutionising African Healthcare: Pharma Distribution, Private Hospitals, and Telemedicine

By Marion Jeng, Associate at DAI Magister With just 15% of the world’s population, Africa accounts for 50% of global deaths from communicable diseases. The African healthcare system grapples with a multitude of challenges that hinder the delivery of quality care to its population. One of the most pressing issues is the severe shortage of healthcare professionals. According to the World Health Organisation as of 2022, the African region has only 1.55 healthcare workers per 1,000 population, far below the WHO threshold density of 4.45 per 1,000 needed to deliver essential health services and achieve universal health coverage. This scarcity of trained medical staff puts an immense strain on the already overburdened healthcare infrastructure. Moreover, the distribution of healthcare faciliti...

17Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Main, Medicine

Navigating healthcare uncertainty across Africa

While Africa continues to face challenges around healthcare accessibility and cost, there are glimmers of hope on the digital horizon, explains Rodney Taylor, MD at Guardian Eye Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become home to one in three people by the end of the century with a rapidly growing population and some impressive economic growth statistics. Currently, the region’s population is over one billion with more people living on a wage less than $2 per day than anywhere else in the world. With higher mortality rates for women and children, lack of access to infrastructure and medication, and the high cost of medication, Africa needs smart interventions to overcome the barriers to healthcare access and adoption. Technology has immense potential to help countries across the continent...

6Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Main, Medicine

When the perceived cure becomes poison: Urgent action required to address the illicit trade of counterfeit antimalarial drugs in Africa, responsible for 158 000 deaths annually

According to the World Health Organization, the sale of counterfeit medication is the world’s most lucrative illicit trade. Sadly, Africa has become home to an estimated 42% of the world’s cases of trade in counterfeit medications, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable and desperate of populations living in low- or middle-income countries. Counterfeit malaria medication is estimated to be directly attributable to the deaths of between 64 000 and 158 000 Africans every year. According to the latest stats from the Journal of Vector Borne Diseases, the antimalarial market in some African countries comprises 88.4% fake drugs. In East and West Africa, for example, food substances (among other ingredients) have been used in place of active pharmaceutical components. These additives c...

Ilara Health Secures $4.2M Pre-Series A to Digitise Fragmented Primary Healthcare in Africa

12Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Medicine, Startups

Ilara Health Secures $4.2M Pre-Series A to Digitise Fragmented Primary Healthcare in Africa

Kenya-based start-up to scale investment in thousands of Primary care clinics through new technology and enhanced business model Ilara Health, the healthtech company digitising and consolidating highly fragmented primary care in Kenya, has today announced the close of a $4.2M pre-series A round of equity and debt. Led by DOB Equity, the round also sees follow-on equity investment from AAIC INVESTMENT, Angaza Capital, Black Pearl Investments, Perivoli Innovations, as well as debt investment from Alphamundi and Kiva Capital. New to the round are Philips Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim. The new partners are strategic healthcare investors that bring their deep experience working with and investing in companies in the global healthcare industry. Ilara Health will use the latest capital ...

7Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine, Zambia News

Africa CDC Youth Pre-Conference at CPHIA 2023: African Youth Gather to Champion Youth Leadership for a Safer and Healthier Africa

The second Africa CDC Youth Pre-Conference kicked off on 25 November 2023 ahead of Africa's largest public health conference, CPHIA 2023, in Lusaka, Zambia. Convened by Africa CDC, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, GIZ and Unicef, the conference witnessed participation of over 250 African youth from 51 African countries and diaspora. The Director General of Africa CDC, His Excellency Dr Jean Kaseya, opened the conference by calling on young people to take an architectural position in providing guidance towards a safer and healthier Africa and to play a pivotal role in this task. The First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Her Excellency Monica Geingos set the participants alight with words of inspiration, emphasizing on the significance of Public Health to African youth as ...

25Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine

Vestergaard manufactures its 1 billionth PermaNet mosquito net

This month, Vestergaard marks the manufacturing of its one billionth PermaNet® long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and will convene two high-level meetings at the UNHQ around the United Nations General Assembly. The first event Vestergaard is hosting is a media briefing on the morning of the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage Day, to re-energise the fight to eliminate malaria. The company has convened global, national, and local leaders at the frontline of the fight against malaria to discuss the critical inflection points that changed the global fight to end malaria, ensuring health for all. The panel discussion is titled: The Next Billion Mosquito Nets - How to Make Every Bed Net Count. The discussions, moderated by CNN reporter Van Jones, include panellists Dr. Muhamma...