In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced a partnership with Imperial to jointly develop a modular screening and treatment healthcare infrastructure program for deployment in sub-Saharan Africa.
Supported by IFC, Imperial, an integrated market access and logistics provider including healthcare infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, is developing a pilot project in South Africa to manufacture and deploy modular healthcare units that will provide screening, treatment and other healthcare services to COVID-19 patients. The program’s objective is to expand and provide services in densely populated, low-income urban areas where access to healthcare is limited. Imperial will further partner with IFC to develop additional pilots in other countries in Africa, including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, identifying country-specific needs and approaches that can be scaled up with the assistance of private healthcare service operators and government partnerships.
The first pilot of the program launched in South Africa in September 2020, includes five modular screening and treatment centres for COVID-19 patients. These modular testing units may be deployed in less than a day and have the potential to boost healthcare options and help reduce infection risk among people and their communities. The modular treatment facilities created under the program will also continue to contribute to primary healthcare infrastructure options beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for underserved communities.
