PharmAccess to make healthcare accessible - Dr Maxwell Antwi

The Ghana Country Director for PharmAccess, Dr Maxwell Antwi, has indicated that his outfit aims at making healthcare better by working to improve the whole health system so that patients can access quality care when they need it, and not just when they can afford.

He said that Africa has a shortage of institutions and standards required for objective and comparable measurement of healthcare quality.

“SafeCare was founded to fill this gap. The international accredited standards make it possible to measure, rate and benchmark the level of quality, safety and risk at healthcare providers,” he said, at the launch of CHAG-SafeCare Quality Improvement Programme in Accra.

Dr Antwi added that SafeCare standards are the first and so far, only ISQua accredited clinical standards tailor-made for resource restricted settings.

“They create a common language and ensure quality is measured against international standards, while leaving room for more local adaptations,” he further stated.

Dr Antwi explained further that PharmAccess in collaboration with CHAG will create a platform that offers great opportunities for more transparency regarding quality.

He explained that healthcare providers within the CHAG network will undergo SafeCare assessment, get rated and receive quality improvement support.

“Patients can make informed healthcare choices, because they know that the rated healthcare facilities meet international quality standards,” he stressed.

PharmAccess is an entrepreneurial organization with a digital agenda dedicated to connecting more people to better healthcare in Africa.

Technological innovation is disrupting virtually every industry across the globe. In Africa, almost everyone has access to a mobile phone. PharmAccess believe that mobile technology is on the verge of disrupting healthcare in Africa in a way that none of us can fully imagine yet.

To capitalize on this opportunity, PharmAccess has initiated a digital platform that connects all players in the market – bringing transparency, accountability and direct access to and for end-users. The wealth of data generated is opening up unprecedented avenues to improve healthcare quality and financing. This mobile technology makes it possible to connect everybody at close-to-zero transaction costs, building trust and a new kind of solidarity. PharmAccess is currently working with a growing number of public and private partners to develop digital services and products in the different countries where we work.

CHAG health facilities comprise health services provided by Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Adventist, Pentecost and other Christian faith health institutions spread throughout Ghana especially in the rural areas.