SafeCare

Updated Jan 15, 2021

SafeCare

Part of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands

https://www.safe-care.org/

Liam Philipp

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SafeCare creates transparency on quality of care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by holistically supporting primary healthcare providers to improve their medical and business quality through a stepwise approach.

SafeCare is an approach that improves healthcare delivery systems of primary healthcare facilities in resource-restricted settings using a stepwise manner, enabling them to deliver better quality care. Trained SafeCare assessors conduct initial assessments using the internationally accredited SafeCare Standards which cover the full range of medical and non-medical care. Based on performance...

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MLC Vanguard

Stage 5: Scaling

SafeCare has been implemented at over 3000 African healthcare facilities, which see over 4.8 million monthly patient visits. It has been partly institutionalized in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana and will soon expand to Asia.

Registered in Netherlands as Non-Profit

Focus Areas:

Health and Health Systems

Implemented In:

Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and 1 MoreSEE ALL

Key Partners

Countries Implemented In

Employees

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Problem

Poor healthcare quality in low and middle-income countries leads to millions of preventable deaths each year (WHO) and is seen as a structural barrier to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). For many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, a critical factor influencing healthcare quality has been the shortage of objective standards and data on healthcare quality. Due to weak enforcement of quality regulations, health systems are characterized by a lack of trust, under investment and poor quality.

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Solution

To improve quality of care and build trust in the health system, institutions are needed that rate, improve and incentivize healthcare quality. SafeCare serves this vital role, supporting healthcare providers to improve both medical and business quality. Based on international clinical standards and tailored for resource-restricted settings, SafeCare is a practical approach that tracks, acknowledges and certifies quality improvement for primary healthcare facilities using a stepwise approach.

Target Beneficiaries

Over 3000 public and private healthcare facilities have enrolled in SafeCare across Africa, with the majority in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. Over 82% of these have improved the quality of care that they provide. The direct beneficiaries are the patients who, as a result of improved healthcare quality, receive better care which contributes to improved health outcomes. SafeCare also improves safety for staff, helps contribute to growth of clinics and strengthens the entire health system.

Mission and Vision

SafeCare is part of the PharmAccess Group, an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare in Africa by taking an integrated approach, leveraging innovative partnerships and capitalizing on technology. SafeCare aims to create a global platform of organizations and people willing to pursue innovative approaches to improve clinical quality, using transformative digital solutions to challenge the status quo and strengthen trust in the healthcare system.

Competitive Advantage

SafeCare has adapted internationally accredited healthcare quality standards, making them practical, low-cost, appropriate and achievable for health facilities in resource restricted settings. Importantly, SafeCare avoids the traditional ‘pass-or-fail’ approach and supports facilities through incremental quality improvements. By breaking down quality improvement into manageable steps, providing incentives and technical assistance, as well as harnessing the power of digital technology and strategic partnerships, SafeCare is helping improve quality of care for millions of people. SafeCare is also part of an integrated effort to strengthen the entire health system. By linking clinics to loans through the Medical Credit Fund, healthcare providers can afford to continuously invest in quality of care. And, by partnering with government, national health insurers, donors and the private sector, SafeCare uses actionable data to create transparency around quality of care for all stakeholders.

Planned Goals and Milestones

In the ten years since SafeCare started, it has already been developed and scaled extensively. The program is being partly institutionalized and scaled nationally in countries like Tanzania and Kenya with increasing scale in Nigeria and Ghana. Clinics in several other African countries are also using SafeCare on a smaller scale, while the program is on the brink of expanding outside the African continent with contracts recently signed to begin work in countries such as Afghanistan and India.

The Team Behind the Innovation

SafeCare employs multidisciplinary teams in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and the Netherlands. The expert team has a strong track record working in healthcare quality, with backgrounds in medicine, nursing, healthcare administration, regulation, business development and policy as well as software development and data science. SafeCare staff also work closely with PharmAccess colleagues, which include health financing, health insurance, technology development, advocacy and research specialists.