THE CONCEPT
THE CONCEPT
In 2009, LifeNet’s founding team assessed the viability of a program to ramp up Burundi’s supply of pharmaceuticals but soon discovered that the most important missing component in the supply chain was further upstream: at the point of diagnosis and consultation.
The faith-based health facilities, key stakeholders in this iteration phase, were uniquely positioned to address the health needs of their communities, and the health facility staff wanted desperately to provide high-quality care. But they were up against crippling structural barriers.
Health facilities without basic medical equipment could not offer patients the services they needed. Staff expended scarce time and resources traveling to and from the capital city of Bujumbura to search for essential medicines. Administrative staff struggled to keep track of earnings and expenses.
Medical staff neglected to wash hands between patients or clean thermometers between uses. Maternity nurses did not know infant CPR. Nurses administered dangerous and even lethal doses of medication – all for lack of basic training. These faith-based health facilities account for 40% of all health services on the African continent, according to the UN.
In pursuit of an asset-light model that could be replicated on a large scale, LifeNet tested a program to provide microloans and basic medicine to nurses to enable them to better serve their communities. After additional pilots and modifications, the LifeNet model, with its emphasis on high-impact training, partnerships, scalability and sustainability was launched in 2012.
GLOBAL SUPPORT OFFICE
PO Box 21457
Washington, DC 20009
+1 (202) 480-9002
IN BURUNDI
26 Avenue Ngendandumwe
Bujumbura, Burundi
IN UGANDA
Princess Anne Drive, Plot 56
Bugolobi Kampala Uganda
IN DRC
IN MALAWI
Off Presidential Highway,
Plot Number 116, Area 14
Lilongwe, Malawi
HEADQUARTERS
Jumuia Place
Lenana Road, Nairobi Kenya
IN GHANA
5, Kobla Nelson AV, Okuja Rd
Abofu, Achimota
Accra, Ghana
EMAIL US: contact@lninternational.org
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We were chosen as one of 25 high impact healthcare delivery solutions for the
2015 Social Innovation in Health Initiative, in partnership with the World Health Organization.