Awards recognise innovation in sustainable healthcare

Some 37 initiatives were entered this year, compared to 29 last year, while the number of entries from countries outside of South Africa doubled to six, with entries stemming from Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Botswana.

The awards ceremony took place on 19 September at the Sandton Sun & Towers, at a gala dinner marking the close of the Pan African Health Congress 2007 (PAH).

The congress includes a Business to Business Forum, the Pan African Health Conference on Accessing and Managing Funding for Healthcare Initiatives in Africa, and the 2nd Annual Absa Healthcare Initiative Awards.

The organisers, Biz Events are also pleased to report that a high calibre of healthcare decision makers participated in PAH 2007, and delegates were received from Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zambia, Botswana and Mauritius, reflecting the truly Pan African nature of the congress, and the continent's commitment to developing inter-African trade and technology transfer in healthcare.

The Absa Healthcare Initiative Award nominees were judged on the key criteria of innovation, impact and sustainability across the categories of:

Emerging businesses, Small businesses or Non-listed companies; Listed Companies or Multi-National Organisations and Hospital Groups; Individual Hospital Initiatives; Non Profit Organisations (NGOs); Public Sector Organisations and Public Private Partnerships.

In her speech, Riah Phiyela Absa Bank: Group Executive Group Public Affairs responsible for BEE, Government Relations, Public Policy and the Absa Foundation, commented thus: “We are proud to sponsor the Absa Healthcare Initiative Awards that recognise companies and organisations whose health initiatives exemplify excellence, innovation and sustainability. You are doing important and vital work, and at Absa we applaud and salute each and every one of you.”

The 2007 Absa Healthcare Initiative Awards winners are:

· The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) for its efforts to train home-based care workers in the treatment of depression, in the category of Emerging/Small Business or Non-Listed Company;

· Anglogold Ashanti for its integrated HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Control Programmes in South Africa and Malaria Control Programmes in its operations in East and West Africa, in the category Listed Company/Multinational Organisation/Hospital Group;

· The Netcare Park Lane Hospital, in the Hospitals category, for its Netcare Park Lane Cleft Lip and Palate Programme;

· The African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) for its work with the Nursing Council of Kenya, to upgrade the country's enrolled nurses to registered level, in the category NGO/Non-Profit Organisation; and

· Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), the Government of Botswana and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in the category Public Private Partnerships, for The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership that works to build institutional and management capacity, strengthen Botswana's health care system, promote behaviour change and support grassroots efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS.

A lack of participation by public sector organisations meant that this category was excluded from the competition, while judges determined that three surprise awards should be introduced. The surprise award for the Most Innovative Project went to Cipla Medpro Miles for Smiles, and the Most Sustainable Project and the Project with the Biggest Impact awards to Anglogold Ashanti.

Judging was entrusted to a panel drawn from the NGO, private and academic sectors, and included last year's judges: Dr Paul Selepe, CEO of Hope Worldwide South Africa; Dr Monwabisi Gantsho, Executive Head of Private Sector & Private Practice Unit, SAMA; Prof Sophie Mogotlane, Academic Chair & Director, Department of Health Studies, UNISA; Dr Morena Makhoana, Deputy MD of Litha Healthcare Holdings; Mandi Fine, MD of Fine Healtchare Strategic Marketing Services; and new judges Jenny Wong-Korten, MD of Africa Media Assignments and Nicole Johnston, Monitor Editor of the Mail & Guardian.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, external auditors of the Absa Foundation Trust, oversaw the judging and verified the category finalists and winners.

Heidi Warricker, Managing Director of Biz Events, organisers of PAH, concludes: “The awards totally exceeded our expectations in terms of number and quality of entries, and it was heartening to see the tremendous commitment of private, public and non-government organisations to playing a role in sustainable healthcare on the continent. It came as no surprise that HIV/AIDS initiatives comprised 43% of these entries and, again, it was encouraging to see so much enthusiasm, energy and effort being expended in an area of such dire need.

“I want to thank our sponsor Absa for making these very important awards possible. As MSD's Sam Nkalashe said in his acceptance speech ‘Absa is truly an African Bank'.”

Information pertaining to the 2008 awards and registration forms will soon be posted on the website: www.panafricanhealth.com

To view the picture gallery and award winners and finalists of the Absa Healthcare Initiative Awards 2007 visit http://www.panafricanhealth.com/gallery3.html