Quality care and expansion on the agenda for Africa Health

February 8, 2011

Source: BI-ME , Author: Posted by BI-ME staff

Posted: Tue February 8, 2011 10:35 pm

UAE. The African healthcare sector is increasingly showing signs of improvement

in its overall quality and availability of care and, as a result, Arab Health

will be extending its global presence with the launch of the three-day Africa

Health Exhibition and Congress (9 – 11 May 2011) at the Johannesburg Expo

Centre, Nasrec, South Africa.

The continent has, over the past years, taken measures to modernise and

restructure its healthcare system and is taking steps to move towards increased

efficiencies and cost-effectiveness.

" Active government support in recent years means a continued focus on healthcare

expansion and Africa Health will attract thousands of healthcare professionals,

exhibiting companies and speakers from around the world to its doors, " Simon

Page, Divisional Director, IIR Middle East & Asia, the organiser of Arab Health

and Africa Health, commented. " Continuing in the tradition of the extremely

successful Arab Health Exhibition and Congress that saw more than 65,000

visitors from over 100 countries descend on Dubai in January, this new show is

set to enhance private sector investment and to provide a platform for the

world's leading manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors to meet the medical

community from the Southern African region and beyond. "

Africa Health will run a comprehensive, multi-track conference providing a

diverse range of topics relating to healthcare in Africa. The Africa Health

Congress has 10 CPD accredited conferences and will include the 1st

International African Imaging and Radiology Conference, 1st International

African Surgery Conference and Leaders in Healthcare Conference Africa, to name

just three of the ten conferences.

" With South Africa being the financial and industrial hub on the African

continent it is a certainty that all healthcare providers and government

representatives from Africa will attend this exhibition and congress, " commented

Gert Botes from the Terumo South Africa Representative Office. " South Africa and

the Sub-Saharan Africa market is central to Terumo's growth plans and exhibiting

at Africa Health is key. "

Recent government strategy in Africa has seen a move towards quality improvement

and accreditation The Council for Health Services Accreditation for Southern

Africa (COHASA) carries out internal and external assessments using

international standards and now offers an international accreditation service

for Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland, Nigeria and Lesotho, as well as South African

hospitals. Expertise and support from the international healthcare community

will be required to successfully implement this transformation.

The African medical device industry, spearheaded mainly by the South African

government, is highly competitive and dynamic with approximately 95% of all

devices imported from overseas. According to Vogt, COO of the South

African Medical Device Industry Association (SAMED) current challenges, such as

the introduction of innovative technology and the debate surrounding the

introduction of the National Health Insurance scheme in South Africa, will

determine the future of the industry and increase the level of foreign

investment further.

Research and development into the eradication of infectious diseases such as TB

and HIV/AIDS demand continued private and foreign investment in order to contain

and decrease the spread of disease.

Commenting on the importance of the Pan-African Symposium on Infectious

Diseases, which will take place during Africa Health, Dr Kasongo, Coordinator,

South African HIV Clinicians Society and Chair of the conference, said: " The

most important and compelling reason for attending the conference is that the

burden of diseases in Africa is eminently dominated by infectious diseases. "

For further information about Africa Health Exhibition and Congress, please

visit www.africahealthexhibition.com.

For more information about IIR Middle East, please visit www.iirme.com.

For more information about Africa Health, please visit www.arabhealthonline.com.

For more information about Terumo, please visit www.terumo.com.

February 8, 2011