Cote D’Ivoire— International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, has inked two agreements with Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Health to help the government create and operate public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Côte d’Ivoire currently has limited access to excellent healthcare due to a significant shortage of diagnostic and imaging equipment, inadequate equipment maintenance, and a lack of qualified healthcare staff.
This is a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership (PPP) approach that will soon offer inexpensive, high-quality laboratory and imaging services at 14 hospitals in the Abidjan and Abengourou regions.
As lead transaction adviser, IFC will assist with Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Health to design, organize, and competitively contract two PPPs for laboratory and imaging services in 14 public hospitals in the Abidjan and Abengourou areas, which have a combined population of 6.7 million people.
The agreement also suggests that the commercial partners that win the bids will design, build, equip, finance, run, and maintain the laboratory and imaging services.
The initiative, the first “hybrid PPP” model in healthcare, will be funded by both private-sector and concessional financing from the World Bank and the Global Financing Facility (GFF).
The Global Financing Facility (GFF) is a World Bank-led collaboration that helps nations develop their health-care systems, with a focus on women, children, and adolescents.
Pierre Dimba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage, stated that the government is committed to creating health infrastructure to deliver quality health services in both the country’s rural and urban areas.
He went on to express his joy in collaborating with the IFC, the World Bank, and the GFF to use private sector funds and expertise to develop public diagnostics infrastructure and provide low-cost, high-quality health services.
He went on to say that this project will help them get closer to their aim of providing universal health coverage for their people, particularly in mother and child health.
Josiane Kwenda, IFC Country Manager for Côte d’Ivoire, remarked that improving access to quality imaging and laboratory services is crucial to providing quality and timely healthcare delivery, which is critical to social and economic development.
She went on to emphasize that the IFC is glad to support the government of Côte d’Ivoire in its efforts to increase the availability and quality of imaging and lab services through private financing and expertise, thereby releasing constrained public money to support other sectors in the health sector.
In addition to IFC’s PPP advisory services’ support, the project is embedded within a World Bank operation linked to the National Health Insurance Program.
Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, World Bank Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire, stated that innovative public-private partnerships are a timely investment in Côte d’Ivoire’s pursuit of universal health coverage for its population.
She went on to highlight that these partnerships provide a significant opportunity for the private sector to contribute to the strengthening of the health system and positively impact the lives of the Ivorian people.
The World Bank’s Health, Nutrition, and Early Childhood Development (ECD) program is co-financed by a grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF), the Early Learning Partnership, and the Global Fund.
Its goal is to strengthen and expand access to quality health, nutrition, and ECD services, particularly for women, children, and poor populations in select regions of Cote d’Ivoire.
Once concluded, the initiatives will expand access to world-class diagnostic services, allowing for early detection of medical disorders, more effective treatment, and better patient outcomes, particularly for women, children, and the disadvantaged.
These projects may be extended to other parts of Côte d’Ivoire in the future.
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