By Achieng Aling
Where did it begin?
This journey insidiously began in 2011 when I worked in a busy rural hospital in Kenya. It was an intense, rewarding experience; however, being the low man on the totem pole meant it was peppered with thoughts of quitting and nights of commiserating with fellow junior doctors, questioning our life decisions. Ergo I learned that shared anguish is a strong binder, as these doctors are still some of my closest friends. Back to the point. It was 12 months of being first on call in different departments; accident and emergency, maternity, internal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics on a cycle of work-sleep-work-eat-work-work, rinse and repeat.
The commitment the hospital leadership and the consultant doctors had was unparalleled. They pushed us to offer the best care to the patients despite months-long theatre waitlists and medication stockouts, as once happened with IV antibiotics for our pediatric patients. This is where I received my first lesson in being part of the solution from the head of the pharmacy department. She may have sat back, crossed her arms, and waited for the government drug supplies to come in as the babies' conditions worsened. Instead, she took the initiative, contacted neighboring hospitals, and found one with an excess stock of the antibiotic we needed. As luck would have it, we had an excess of a drug they had run out off. In less than 2 hours, the respective hospital administrations agreed on an exchange that benefited all parties, and the day was saved.
Clay Banks
Throughout the year I was based there, similar scenarios played out and fueled my calling to go into health policy development. The thought process being I would speedily impact more people if my contribution was at the policy level than in one-on-one patient consultations. Well! the fallacy and naivety of this thinking were to be discovered years later. Fortunately, the lesson I was to learn had been driven home and lay in the recesses of my subconscious: "Anyone can make a difference" and "Ingenuity in healthcare is invaluable."
Biding my time
Though the desire to go into public health policy was gnawing at my heart, my logical mind thought it would be better to have a few more years of first-hand clinical experience. I worked across public and private hospitals in rural and in an urban pediatric center, soaking in learnings as I went. I spent a total of 4 years in paediatric casualty departments, another 4 years as an obstetrics and gynecology resident, and finally 3 years as a consultant.
Awakening
First forward to receiving a scholarship at the University of Global Health Equity, which I interpreted as the universe confirming my desired life path. At this time, I was a seasoned clinician with an understanding of hospital structures and systems from the perspective of a provider. I understood where the bottlenecks lay and could envision the heroic role I would play by bringing change. Remember the naivety I had about what goes into policy development and implementation? It was quickly extinguished once education began. By the time I started working with NGOs and the government, I learned there were forces beyond goodwill that impacted healthcare structures, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Meet-ups with my friends in the clinical field, from nurses to doctors, led to the realization that most of us were working in an industry and we had very little knowledge of how policies were determined, and at times we would share opinions from uninformed viewpoints. If we, the providers, did not have this information, how much worse was it for the end-users of our services? How could I contribute to changing this?
Most of the information I found online was from the global north and written for an academic audience, yet health ownership should start at the individual level. Information is power, and that power needs to belong to everyone.
I partnered with my long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Emily Njuguna, a seasoned Paediatrician and health policy advocate. Together, we want to develop a community of like-minded people, share knowledge, and create partnerships, a platform to inspire innovators in health, a source for market research information for investors, and an information hub for beneficiaries to better understand why they experience healthcare as it is.
So, what is the plan?
Global Health Africa Decoded will build a collection of articles under 6 main themes:
1. Understanding health systems & policies
We take a deep dive into how countries in Africa decide which healthcare systems and policies to adopt, the external factors and players that influence these decisions and how it impacts healthcare access and cost.
2. Innovations in Healthcare
Shining a light on health products and innovations that improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs with an emphasis on Africa-grown solutions addressing fundamental gaps in the system.
3. Menstrual health
Understanding the changing landscape of sexual & reproductive health. Knowledge sharing on menstrual health/ hygiene topics and their impact on overall health, offering educative health resources and information on the latest research.
4. Pediatric health
Reviewing policies impacting the pediatric population of Africa. Understanding the global health and catalytic changes needed to reduce mortality and highlighting interventions that bring change.
5. Spotlight
Stories from health practitioners and organizations in Africa advancing global and public health to inspire future generations. Highlighting the importance of clinicians lending their voice to influence policy, be it by offering consultancies, conducting research or innovating solutions.
Join us
We want to build a community that will accelerate the shift of decision-making in global health for the African people, where only half the population has access to healthcare.
We’d love you to be there for the journey. If you know any stories or sources that would enrich this community, please reach out to us through email or send us a message on our social media platforms.
Achieng Aling is an obstetrician-gynecologist, global health specialist, and menstrual health advocate.
Comments