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Africa Health 2018: Explore innovations, Increase Business Opportunities

Article-Africa Health 2018: Explore innovations, Increase Business Opportunities

Africa Health is the largest platform on the continent for international and local companies to meet, network and do business with the ever-growing African healthcare market.  

“This is a beautiful platform where we meet and network with people who provide tech solutions for health, academics and healthcare managers.”

  • Hon Minister Dr Bernard Hauku, Minister of Health, Windhoek, Namibia

“All the key international industry players are at Africa Health… It is important for industry professionals to attend Africa Health to stay up to date with technology, as it is a great platform to view innovation in the healthcare field.”
Douglas Austen, Business Unit Manager, Obsidian Health

Expected to attract more than 10,100 healthcare professionals and over 553 leading international and regional healthcare and pharmaceutical suppliers, manufacturers and service providers, the 8th annual Africa Health Exhibition & Congress will be held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from 29 – 31 May 2018.

Africa Health is the largest platform on the continent for international and local companies to meet, network and do business with the ever-growing African healthcare market.  

Having experienced stellar growth over the last decade and showing no sign of slowing down in the near future, the African region is seen to be one of the most sought-after markets globally for healthcare investments. According to a report by the IFC, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, titled ‘Health Care in Africa: IFC Report Sees Demand for Investment’, it is estimated that by 2022, Africa will need $25bn-$30bn in investment in physical healthcare assets alone, including hospitals and clinics. The report also states that as Africa's economies improve, the demand for good quality healthcare will only increase further.

Digital Transformation
According to Ryan Sanderson, Exhibition Director at Informa Life Sciences Group Africa – organisers of Africa’s largest healthcare conference, Africa Health - the pressure to identify real solutions for Africa’s healthcare challenges should be a critical consideration for any entity looking to invest in the region.

Sanderson says that with high levels of mobile penetration on the continent, coupled with advancing technologies and new approaches to healthcare management, digital transformation within the healthcare sector may be one of the solutions to addressing the challenges faced, particularly in rural parts of Africa. 

As the largest healthcare business platform in the MENA region, Africa Health is the perfect venue for exhibitors to showcase their latest products and services to an engaged audience that are looking for new business opportunities. It also serves as an excellent platform for both visitors and exhibitors to stay abreast of the industry's latest trends and advancements, meet new customers and develop relationships with existing clients.

CPD-accredited conferences
In addition, the event will run the Africa Health Congress which will feature a total of 16 conferences with the opportunity to gain CPD credits for selected tracks. These multidisciplinary conferences will offer education on the latest updates, trends and advancements on a range of clinical and non-clinical topics. The clinical conference listing will include surgery, nursing, medical obstetrics, emergency and trauma. Non-clinical conferences will consist of decontamination & sterilisation (CSSD), public health, healthcare management, procurement, etc. amongst others.

The exclusive Africa Health Leaders Forum will highlight the importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in enhancing the capabilities of healthcare systems in the region.

The Congress will host distinguished local and international experts and industry leaders speaking across the different conferences. Their presentations will touch upon key issues affecting the healthcare sector, including:

  • Opportunities for investment in healthcare start-ups in Southern Africa
  • Water saving and efficiency in health facilities
  • Making nurses techno savvy
  • Planning and managing healthcare technology across the lifecycle of healthcare facility
  • Community-lived experiences of climate change in relation to energy sources
  • The impact of political decisions on healthcare
  • Telemedicine: Providing remote access to high quality care

Sanderson says that, year-on-year, Africa Health continues to cement its position as a leading platform for dialogue around the most pressing healthcare issues that the continent faces. “Finding solutions to these challenges will not only result in greater access to health services for those who need it the most, but it will, in turn, reduce the financial burden that all governments experience when trying to meet their nation’s healthcare needs.”

All proceeds from the conferences will be donated to local charity, RuDASA (The Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa) and associations.

Africa Health Congress Overview

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING NEW (30th May)

In partnership with: IFBME, IBE and US

Theme: Past, Present and Future of BME in Africa

This session commences with a plenary address on ‘The West African Biomedical Engineering landscape - an update, review, lessons to be learnt and thoughts for the future’. Attendees at the event can explore initiatives that accelerate medical device innovation and manufacturing while also considering the role of biomedical engineering societies within Africa.

DECONTAMINATION & STERILISATION (CSSD) (29-31 May)
In association with: CSSD Forums of South Africa (CFSA) & Association for Peri‐operative Practitioners in South Africa (APPSA – Gauteng Chapter)
Theme: Best practice – best outcomes

This conference helps to gain more insight into CSSD in perioperative environments and advance knowledge in this niche area. It will examine new strategies to decrease risk of contamination, increase efficiency and reduce cost of handling instruments while also identifying sources of CSSD failures and develop risk management to control errors.

EMERGENCY MEDICINE NEW(31st May)
In partnership with: Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa (EMSSA)

Theme: Addressing and advancing emergency care in South Africa
Assessing the future of emergency care in South Africa’s healthcare system to help stay ahead of the curve, this conference session enables participants to determine the best course of action in advanced paediatric emergencies to improve patient outcomes. First-hand case examples are reviewed to tackle ways to improve response in tough situations in the ED.

ETHICS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MEDICAL LAW (31st May)
Theme: Managing medical negligence and medical errors in South African hospitals & human rights issues surrounding human migration in Africa
This agenda will delve into the recurrent problems of medical negligence in clinical practice, as well as the ethics of human migration, in light of the impact of ‘brain drain’ and recent events surrounding the migration of African youth to Europe and elsewhere; and the duty and burden these two issues have placed on healthcare practitioners and other members of the civil society on the continent. 

HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT (30-31 May)
Theme: Digital health revolution: Delivering high quality care to every patient in Africa in a sustainably affordable way 
Incorporating digital disruption into the healthcare market to deliver top-tier quality service at low cost is a key topic of discussion at this conference. The two-day session investigates the role of digital health in creating health equity and improving healthcare access to patients, and also compares the latest digital platforms to enable attendees to make the right investment decision.

HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT (31st May)
In association with: IFBME, SAHTAS & CEASA
Theme: Energising healthcare through practical solutions
This session offers an evaluation of the parameters of strategic medical equipment planning, management and maintenance to improve efficiency and productivity in any healthcare organisation. It looks at the role of state-of-the art medical technologies in enhancing the efficiency and management of a facility.

HOSPITAL BUILD (30-31 May)
Theme: Starting with the end in mind
Apart from discussing financing options and challenges in the healthcare build environment, this conference also explores contemporary design and fit-for-purpose healthcare facilities to maximise efficiency and patient experience. Participants can assess the latest resource management strategies in healthcare facilities and prioritise cost-cutting to improve efficiency.

IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS (29-30 May)
Theme: Techniques and technology towards imaging excellence
Chaired by Prof Sudhir Vinayak, President, African Society of Radiology, this session examines the impact of new initiatives that prevent occupational exposure in radiology. It also looks at new developments and the latest techniques for accurate diagnosis in various imaging specialities – cardiac, neuro, breast, abdominal, paediatric, and obstetrics & gynaecology.

NURSING (31st May)
In association with: Academy of Nursing in South Africa (ANSA)
Theme: Changing the game with technology
How does the application of modern technology affect the nursing profession? This conference helps you discover how technology can take nursing to the forefront of healthcare by improving care and patient outcomes, and how to include technology in nursing training and education to develop tomorrow’s nurses. Learn also about unified health systems used by nurses to improve patient flow and experience.

MEDICAL OBSTETRICS (29-30 May)
Knowledge Partner: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
Theme: Best practice in medical obstetrics
Speakers at this conference discuss the best treatment strategy for common chronic diseases encountered during pregnancy that will help reduce negative outcomes. The agenda will familiarise obstetricians and healthcare providers with recent developments in obstetrics with the aim of enhancing scientific knowledge on current controversies and other clinically relevant topics. Speakers will also cover current issues in obstetrics such as obesity, hypertension, pulmonary complications, advanced maternal age, screening and more.

MEDICAL DEVICES PROCUREMENT (29th May)
In partnership with: Medical Devices Manufacturers Association of South Africa (MDMSA)
Theme: Procurement by Africa for Africa

This conference will help you discover quality and cost-effective procurement strategies to increase savings within any healthcare institution. It also explores new technology, initiatives and opportunities supporting the procurement of medical devices within Africa and, identifies and evaluates new medical device procurement regulations to ensure compliance.

PUBLIC HEALTH (29-30 May)
In partnership with: Public Health Association of South Africa 
Theme: Think Global, Act Local
From reviewing strategies to improve leadership and clinical governance to evaluating the impact of climate change on health, this conference is a must-attend event for anyone associated with the public health sector across Africa. The conference helps identify the prevalence of occupational disease and injuries, and also discusses the development of new vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT (29th May)
In association with the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA)
Theme: Ensuring a resilient approach to a high quality of care
What steps need to be taken to ensure high quality of care in health systems? This session outlines innovative approaches to improve quality, discusses tools and techniques for improvement and provides insight into standardising care by implementing improvement standards across the organisation. 

SURGERY (29th May)
Theme: Future of surgery in Africa
This session discusses the role of new technology and current treatment strategies to minimise human error in surgical care, compares treatment options and practice standards for benign and malignant breast disease, identifies how to manage complications in MIS and GI cases, and determines good practice in laparoscopic emergency procedures that reduce the risk of post-operative complications.

TRAUMA (29-30 May)
In partnership with: Trauma Society of South Africa
Theme: Advancing the expertise of the practicing trauma physician
Participants at this conference session can learn about best practices when dealing with advanced and severe trauma cases to enable faster recovery time, lower infection rate and overall better outcomes. This includes reviewing local multidisciplinary trends for trauma care and identifying how to efficiently manage trauma cases within the peripheral hospital.

AFRICA HEALTH LEADERS FORUM (31st May)
Theme: Harnessing PPPs in Healthcare - Imperatives for today’s leaders
This invitation-only event includes keynote addresses by prominent health ministers from across Africa and private health specialists in the field to discuss the rise and challenges associated with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) which governments are utilising as a means of gathering investment and expertise from the private sector to enhance the capabilities of healthcare systems.

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