Diplomatist Magazine Africa Day Special 2018 | Page 49

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
enhanced workforce in the entire continent. For
decades, Africa has seen the life expectancy
of its populations stunted by communicable
and parasitical diseases that have mostly been
stamped out in the developed world. The
continent has a very low density of physicians
and nurses, which stand at 2.7 and 12.4 per
10,000 people, respectively, against a world
average of 13.9 and 28.6. Indian expertise in
human resource and capacity building can go
a long way in bolstering Africa's healthcare
industry.
Areas for Strategic Alliance in Health and
Pharmaceuticals
There are immense opportunities for
collaboration and cooperation between
India and Africa in the healthcare sector.
India, in particular, has witnessed massive
transformation in its domestic healthcare sector
in the last couple of decades. India, today, is
not only the pharmacy of the world but also
a leading healthcare provider for the world
(Pedersen, 2008). The Government of India,
during the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015,
in addition to providing a Line of Credit of $10
billion to Africa over the next fi ve years, also
offered a grant of $600 million which includes
a dedicated grant of $10 million for health
cooperation. However, the need of the hour is
that India and Africa collaborate and cooperate
to work on projects together as mere aid is
insuffi cient to propel and ensure long-term
and robust development in the African health
sector. Both partners should work together to
enhance and build human capacity and promote
value chain development in the African health
industry. Moreover, India possesses several
scientifi c and technical capabilities. Both could
benefi t from collaborative research on diseases,
which currently receive little attention, or the
development of health care systems tailored to
suit their populations needs. Similarly, Africa
has demonstrated poor capacity in terms of
human resources in the health sector. With a
low density of physicians and nurses, India can
offer support in terms of training and medical
expertise in lieu of its highly developed med ical
education industry. Hence, India can act as a
India's strengths
with regard
to its generic
pharmaceuticals
industry would be
useful in African
countries' bid
to boost local
pharmaceutical
manufacturing.
catalyst to propel healthcare capacity building
in Africa.
The key areas for strategic alliance identifi ed
are:
• Hospital Industry: India has a large
healthcare infrastructure, including tertiary
level super specialty hospitals. India's expertise
in this domain can be used to aid Africa’s efforts
to establish widespread and comprehensive
healthcare facilities throughout the continent.
Indian healthcare fi rms are also taking steps to
create joint ventures with hospitals in Africa,
and have begun investing in the countries
Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana,
Mauritius, and Mozambique.
• Pharmaceuticals: India's strengths with
regard to its generic pharmaceuticals industry
would be useful in African countries' bid to
boost local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Some Indian companies have already made
substantial foreign direct investments (FDI)
in Africa. Indian pharmaceutical companies’
strategy consists of entering into joint ventures
with their African counterparts, which makes
the local production of drugs possible.
• Pathology and Diagnostics Care: India can
also help establish pathology and diagnostics
care centres across Africa, either through joint-
2018 • Africa Day Special • 45