GHANA – Executive Chairperson of Africa Healthcare Network (AHN) Nikhil Pereira-Kamath has announced that AHN has recently expanded into Ghana and expects its first dialysis center by the end of 2022 with intentions to bring kidney care to as many regions in Africa as possible.
Established in 2015, Africa Healthcare Network is the first and largest dialysis chain across Sub-Saharan Africa providing high-quality dialysis at an affordable cost. AHN brings world-class technical expertise combined with practical operating experience to a region in dire need of quality dialysis treatment
AHN currently operates three dialysis centers in Rwanda, 17 centers in Tanzania and eight centers in Kenya. The dialysis care leader treats more than 50% of patients on dialysis in Rwanda, 25% of patients on dialysis in Tanzania and 5% of patients on dialysis in Kenya with its footprint doubling annually.
AHN has a close relationship with the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) which helps it to send doctors from East Africa abroad for fellowships and medical education. Pereira-Kamath was awarded the ISN’s Emerging Global Leaders Inaugural Cohort in 2021 for the work done in expanding care in EA.
During an interview with Healio, Pereira-Kamath explained that the dialysis centers are built within AHN’s partner hospitals and that AHN has contributed to the care of about 5,000 patients while noting that the clinics are led by independent local teams with a focus on gender equity and capacity building.
We’re the only vertically integrated health care service provider in East Africa. So, we have our own warehouses and supply chain.
Executive Chairperson of Africa Healthcare Network Nikhil Pereira-Kamath reaffirmed that the Africa Healthcare Network is committed to bringing high quality kidney care at an affordable cost in sub-Saharan Africa, adding that AHN is focused on bringing access to patients.
“AHN should be the provider of choice for patients requiring renal care including the continuum of care from managing diabetic and hypertensive patients to chronic kidney disease patients, managing and delaying the progression of disease, renal replacement therapy and transplantation,” Nikhil noted.
“We have a real opportunity to provide world-class care across the continent, helping shape the entire industry and elevate clinical standards. While our growth must be sustainable, we’re intensely focused on access to care,” CEO of AHN Matt Williams reassured.
Pereira-Kamath revealed that several factors go into decisions by AHN to expand to new countries including government support, strength of the health system as well as focus on noncommunicable disease management and currency stability.
“We’ve registered all the products in the countries with their respective FDAs, so we have the ability to also improve access to drugs as medicines avoiding issues many operators face including stock outs, product expiration and cost efficiency,” he further disclosed.
In addition to providing dialysis, AHN has led campaigns to spread awareness about kidney disease and has created a registry of patients in East Africa with chronic kidney disease to better prevent and manage the disease progression.
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