The International Hospital Federation (IHF) and Africa Healthcare Federation (AHF) announced today that they have entered into a partnership to increase the participation of healthcare leaders from African countries in the IHF and other global hospital and healthcare initiatives.

Speaking from the IHF’s Secretariat office in Geneva, Switzerland, Ronald Lavater, CEO, emphasized the significance of this partnership in advancing the IHF’s vision of improving global healthcare through excellence in hospital leadership:

“The IHF is pleased to be partnering with AHF to increase our activities and membership in Africa, an important strategic initiative for us.”

The IHF connects members from over 100 organizations, comprising more than 20,000 hospitals and healthcare services around the world. AHF’s community of non-state healthcare stakeholders has representation in 27 countries from all regions of Africa. The IHF and AHF’s partnership will include projects related to collaborative working, conferences and events, and professional training programs. The joint goal is to increase the participation of African healthcare leaders in international activities focused on knowledge exchange, good practice, and collaboration in healthcare delivery and hospital management.

From its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Amit N. Thakker, President of AHF, expressed his belief in the benefits of a unified approach:

“Collaboration is vital in strengthening health systems and improving healthcare service delivery. As we enter into this partnership with IHF, we are excited and optimistic that, by working together, we can accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.” – Amit N. Thakker, AHF President

The IHF looks forward to welcoming more hospital and health service organizations from African countries to international events, in particular the World Hospital Congress 2021, which is a hybrid event taking place in Barcelona (8–11 November) with full virtual attendance possible. Registrations are also open for a virtual knowledge exchange on green hospitals and sustainability in healthcare on 7 October.

You can also find this press release on the IHF website, here.