Aga Khan Health Services

Last updated

Aga Khan Health Services
Type non-profit
Industry Healthcare
Founded1924 [1]
Headquarters
Gouvieux [2]
,
France
Area served
 East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia
Productshealth centres, dispensaries, hospitals, diagnostic centres, and community health outlets
Parent Aga Khan Development Network
Website www.akdn.org/our-agencies/aga-khan-health-services

The Aga Khan Health Services is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that supports activities in the health field, and manages more than 200 health facilities, including a network of Aga Khan Hospitals. [3]

Contents

It works closely with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) on planning, training, and resource development, and with the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) and the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS) on the integration of health issues into specific projects.

With community health programmes in Central and South Asia, as well as East Africa, AKHS is one of the most comprehensive private not-for-profit health care systems in the developing world. [4] [5] It provides curative health care through 237 health centres, dispensaries, hospitals, diagnostic centres and community health outlets to one million beneficiaries and handles 1.2 million patient visits annually. [6]

Building on the Ismaili Community's health care efforts in the first half of the 20th century, AKHS now provides primary health care and curative care in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Tanzania, and provides technical assistance to government in health service delivery in Kenya, Syria and Tajikistan. [4]

Programmes and major initiatives

AKHS's community health programmes are designed to reach vulnerable groups in society, especially child-bearing women and young children, with low-cost, proven medical technologies. In AKHS's approach to health services, primary health care and prevention are considered as steps towards improved health status that must be linked to the availability of high quality medical care. To complement its work in primary health care, AKHS offers curative services in institutions ranging from dispensaries through health centres to full-service hospitals. [7] At each level of care, the AKHS focus is on providing services that are needed and wanted by the community and on building linkages within the system. It also aims to ensure a quality of care that significantly raises local standards. Quality control in laboratory diagnosis, appropriate documentation in medical records, regular supply of pharmaceuticals and continuing education of nurses and doctors are some of the practices that AKHS emphasises in its approach to institutional development.

AKHS's overall major initiatives include:

Organization and governance

AKHS is organised into national service companies in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan, [11] Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, [7] and Uganda registered as a not-for-profit, non-governmental agencies in their respective countries. Each company is sponsored by Aga Khan Health Services S.A., a not-for-profit organisation registered in Switzerland and has its own Chairman and Board of Directors.

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) located within the Secretariat of the Aga Khan in France, co-ordinates the activities of the service companies through planning, budget reviews, and the provision of technical assistance. They are also linked internationally through network-wide strategies in human resource development, hospital management, nursing development, and primary health care. While strengthening its institutions and the links between them, each health service company also joins government health services and other providers in building effective national health systems.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Aga Khan Health Services, About Us". Aga Khan Hospitals. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  2. ↑ "AKHS". Development Aid. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  3. ↑ Momina Muzammil (August 25, 2020). "Health system". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Health centre opened for Afghan refugees". Dawn (newspaper). August 14, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Aga Khan Health Services". Aga Khan Development Network website. December 7, 2000. Archived from the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Aga Khan Foundation Annual Report 2005" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 10, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Ocean Road Cancer Institute cuts waiting time for testing cancer". The Citizen. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ Ltd, Tanzania Standard Newspapers. "AKHST launches new tele-medicine app for patients". www.dailynews.co.tz. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ "NBTS official calls for more blood donation to save lives". www.ippmedia.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  10. ↑ "COVID-19 Heroine: Dr. Winnie Kitetu". EJS Center. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  11. ↑ "AKHSP health services enumerated". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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