Aga Khan University set to expand

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AKU's golf tournament set to fund additional 100 life-saving paediatric cardiac procedures

One hundred members of civil society came together over a game of golf to support the Aga Khan University (AKU)’s efforts in Mending Kids’ Hearts on Sunday.

About 60,000 children – one in every 100 infants born in Pakistan every year – are born with cardiovascular disease resulting in the deaths of many babies without any diagnosis.

The internationally reported incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) is 8 to 10 per 1,000 live births. In Pakistan, since most births occur in villages, in remote areas or in ill-equipped basic health units, the true prevalence of CHD at birth is unknown as accurate data is not available. Lack of awareness and inadequate diagnostic and treatment facilities compound the problem as many Pakistani CHD patients do not survive beyond their first few years.

“Pakistan and three other countries India, China and Indonesia contribute to about 50 per cent of children with heart diseases in the world,” said Dr Muneer Amanullah, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery and interim associate dean of Postgraduate Medical Education at AKU. “About 15,000 to 20,000 of infants have critical problems and require a surgery or intervention in the first year of life.”

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https://www.aku.edu/news/Pages/News_Det ... EWS-001118
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Virtual Fair

by Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations


Description

Are you interested in studying at London’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (ISMC)?

Join ISMC students, staff and academics online for the ISMC’s Virtual Fair.

Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations seeks to illuminate the historical and contemporary aspects of Muslim societies and to create a platform for fresh thinking about their futures, through world-class teaching and research.

Learn about the ISMC’s interdisciplinary two-year master’s degree, find out about admissions, quiz current students on academic life, and have the opportunity to ask your own questions.

This event is free and exclusively online. Book now to secure your place.

Prior to the event you will receive registration details for the online platform. Please log in when you receive these to ensure that all is well and you can access the event on the day easily.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual- ... 1413150579
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Aga Khan hospital holds open day in campaign against cancer

The Aga Khan University Hospital held a cancer awareness open day to mark the World Cancer Day on Saturday.

Themed ‘We can, I can’, the open day provided a platform for tens of cancer patients, survivors and people passionate about fighting the terminal illness to interact and deliberate on how to reduce the disease burden as well as the toll it takes on households and Kenya’s economy.

Cancer specialists consisting of oncologists, surgeons, palliative medicine experts, oncology nurses and counselling psychologists were available for one-on-one consultations and respond to participant queries.

The forum, which was open to the public offered free palliative care and pain management training classes for healthcare and paramedical providers to equip them with skills necessary to take care of patients suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases.

The Aga Khan University Hospital has also organised five training sessions late this month, April, May, June and September. The Ministry of Health, Nairobi County and the Kenya Cancer Organisations Network (KENCO) also hosted the national event outside the National Archives on Moi Avenue in Nairobi.

“We want Kenyans to know that cancer is not just about screening,” said KENCO chairman David Makumi.

“There are other preventive measures that we want to emphasise through simple health messages on lifestyle and physical activity.”

Cancer, among other lifestyle illnesses, remains among top three killer non-communicable diseases in Kenya that include pneumonia and malaria.

Data from the 2016 Economic Survey show that reported deaths from cancer rose from 11,527 in 2011 to 14,175 in 2014 and 15,714 in 2015, signalling a public health crisis at a time when Kenya is reeling from shortage of specialised doctors to handle chronic diseases.

Recently a group of African researchers found a possible cure of lung and stomach cancer in a Kenyan evergreen shrub that produces a compound with therapeutic properties, giving hope to patients suffering from the disease.

The international team comprising Kenyan and Cameroonian scientists said the compounds called quinones, produced by some Kenyan plants, could aid in the fight against the cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The new research findings show that among 14 different naturally-occurring quinones, one compound — rapanone — which was isolated from an evergreen shrub, was effective at triggering death of malignant mesothelioma cells.

“The tested natural products...are potential cytotoxic compounds that deserve more investigations towards developing novel antiproliferative drugs against human carcinoma,” said the study’s first author Victor Kuete, a biochemist at the Universite de Dschang.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Aga- ... 92-bjqhtn/
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Transforming Leadership for 21st Century Africa

Nairobi, Kenya, 7 February 2017 - The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (AKU GSMC) is set to host a pioneering suite of courses designed to transform leadership in Africa.

Launching in November 2017, Transforming Leadership for 21st Century Africa brings together two world class courses designed to equip executives with the skills, mindset and communication expertise to better lead their organization – and Africa itself – in our increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.

Speaking at the signing of an historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AKU GSMC, the Aga Khan Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education (HKS Executive Education), in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Monday 6 February 2017, AKU GSMC Founding Dean Michael Meyer announced:

“We are proud to bring to Nairobi an extraordinary opportunity for African executives to sharpen two of the most vital skills needed to better lead their organizations – and Africa itself – in our increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.”

http://www.akdn.org/press-release/trans ... ury-africa
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The ability to change society lies within you, says Chief Guest Lila Mkila to Aga Khan University Graduands

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 8 February 2017 - Graduands at the Aga Khan University’s 12th convocation ceremony in Dar es Salaam were urged to make the best of their education by rising to the challenge of improving people’s quality of life.

In his speech, Chief Guest Lila Mkila, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Tanzania, told graduates to celebrate today but to remember how they can use the knowledge and skills gained through higher education to contribute to Tanzania and Africa’s future prosperity.

Mr. Mkila pointed out that the importance of higher education could hardly be overstated and went on to talk about the experience of his colleague, Dr. Benno Ndulu, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania, who authored a report with World Bank colleagues on “The Challenges of African Growth”. The report pointed out that there were four areas where investment was critical to accelerating economic growth and improving people’s well-being, and one of them was innovation, and within that area, higher education. In essence, Mr. Mkila said: “The more educated and skilled a person, the more productive and innovative they tend to be, and hence the greater their contribution to economic growth.”

“Yet we still face a dilemma: if we don’t have enough people to act on the basis of that knowledge, or to use that technology, very little will change. As Dr. Ndulu’s report stated: ‘Like a big book in the sky, technological knowledge and inventions are a global public good. But one can only use them if one can reach the book, turn the pages and read from it’” he added.”

AKU President Firoz Rasul in his welcome address to the graduands encouraged graduates to remember how their education has equipped them with the skills to tackle challenges around them. “As humans we naturally seek a higher purpose. We seek a great task or calling – a challenge that brings meaning to our lives, and that leaves a mark on the lives of others.”

Mr. Rasul urged graduates to never be overawed by challenges around them. He used the example of AKU’s work with public sector nursing bodies and Johnson and Johnson to highlight the importance of partnerships with international institutions and public-sector organizations to widen and deepen the impact of one’s own initiatives.

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http://www.akdn.org/press-release/abili ... university
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‘In terms of skills, Pakistan lags behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh’s garment industries’

In terms of skill base in the garment industry Pakistan lags behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Firoz Rasul, the president of the Aga Khan University, said on Saturday.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the 17th convocation of the Textile Institute of Pakistan held at its main campus near Eastern Zone, Bin Qasim (Ghakkar Phatak).

Firoz said he admired TIP’s work, significance and its impact. He added that textile was one of the most important sectors of the country and considered the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/182612 ... industries

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Hack Paeds 2017

CCIT

February 11-13, 2017
Karachi

Aga Khan University

After the success of CCIT HACK 2016 (AKU Hackathon v1.0) focusing on Emergency Medicine, we bring you our 2nd edition. At the end of the 2.5 day event, participants are expected to come up with sustainable innovations that address problems in the field of Paediatrics. And to do so, AKU has teamed up with Hacking Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, USA.

Goal

To assist in designing the next generation Children’s Hospital which does not feel like a hospital, is state-of-the-art and cost-effective.

Primary objectives

1.To generate designs for a ‘medical home’ for our children - a happy place where even the healthy feel at home and not as if they are within a hospital. And where the sick, especially the chronically sick kids, are given a feeling of normality.
2.To allow out-of-the-box (‘crazy’) ideas and innovations for the envisioned hospital (‘tower’).
3.To generate innovations for a 21st century Children’s Hospital which can function through smart phone and app-based technology (hi-tech but low cost).
4.To generate processes that will make the Children’s Hospital accessible to even the poor.

https://www.aku.edu/events/Pages/event- ... Paeds+2017
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Grooming the young doctors into becoming specialists

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/magazine/Gr ... index.html
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Aga Khan University graduands urged to utilise knowledge to transform society

Nairobi, Kenya, 15 February 2017 - Graduands at the Aga Khan University’s convocation ceremony in Nairobi were encouraged to use their skills and knowledge to pursue ambitious, far-reaching initiatives that would impact as many lives as possible.

In her speech, Chief Guest Professor Collette Suda, Principal Secretary, State Department for University Education, Ministry of Education, explained that making an extraordinary impact requires one to go beyond one’s professional obligations and day-to-day commitments by tackling the root causes of problems.

“No doubt many of you are already thinking about the next step in your education, whether that involves formal studies or the kind of education that one receives by taking on a new and more challenging position within one’s profession. In fact, it may be that the best measure of any academic programme is whether it leaves you hungry to learn more and to increase your capacity to bring about a change in your life, community, country and the world.”

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http://www.akdn.org/press-release/aga-k ... rm-society

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Mannequin Challenge

Published on Feb 13, 2017

Students from AKU’s Medical College and School of Nursing and Midwifery participate in the mannequin challenge at AKU’s Centre for Innovation in Medical Education, an educational facility designed to mimic hospital environment.

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkJr23p9Xg
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AKUH’s laboratories get international accreditation

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https://www.geo.tv/latest/132776-AKUHs- ... reditation

AKUH’s laboratories get international accreditation

Khawar Khan
February 28, 2017
Health

KARACHI: The clinical laboratories of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) have become the first in country to be accredited by College of American Pathologists (CAP).

This was announced by AKUH Chief Executive Officer Hans Kedzierski in a press conference held at hospital’s premises on Tuesday.

Laboratory testing is an essential part of a quality healthcare service, said Kedzierski. “Most of the decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment are usually based on laboratory test results.”

The CAP’s Laboratory Accreditation Programme is an extensive and rigorous exercise which assures the quality of the laboratories. A team of nine CAP inspectors has visited Pakistan last year to audit quality records, staff qualifications, tests validation, equipment, facilities, safety programmes and overall management. In order to the get the certificate, AKUH performed 3,000 different mandatory procedures.

“I would like to congratulate AKUH for being the first CAP accredited laboratory in Pakistan,” said CAP President Richard C. Friedberg.

“We know that the journey has been the long one, but we are sure and certain that the benefits of our accreditation and your continual desire to improve your services, your performance, your accuracy, your reliability, and your precision will benefit the patients in Pakistan,” he added.

Shagufta Hassan, Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Laboratories and Outreach Services, remarked that CAP accreditation is an attestation that AKUH Clinical Laboratories have achieved the gold standard in laboratory medicine.

“Since it was formed, AKUH has aimed to achieve international standards in our teaching, research, and care for patients,” said Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul. “Validation of our practices through international accreditation gives patients the assurance that standards match the best in the world.”

For the convenience of patients, the laboratories also offer online reports, SMS alerts and detailed multi-column reports.

AKUH laboratories are the largest laboratory network in Pakistan. Besides the main clinical laboratory in Karachi, there are 250 regional laboratories, medical centres and specimen collection units in over 100 cities across the country.
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Mother-child health: AKU opens research and training centre in Matiari

HYDERABAD:

The Aga Khan University (AKU) inaugurated a research and training centre in Matiari district on Friday.

The centre, equipped with a laboratory, training spaces, data centres and office space, will conduct research and capacity buildings programmes on mother and child healthcare.

The centre has been constructed at an over 11,000 square-feet plot at a cost of Rs68.4 million, funded by United Energy Pakistan. According to Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, founding director of AKU’s Centre for Excellence in Women and Child Health, “The centre will become the hub of the university’s research and training into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of some of today’s major mother and child healthcare problems in the country.” Matiari, with a population of around 500,000 scattered over 1,400 villages and three semi-urban underdeveloped talukas, is around 30 kilometres away from Hyderabad. According to the AKU, more than half of the total births in the district take place at home, attended by unskilled birth attendants.

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https://tribune.com.pk/story/1077307/mo ... n-matiari/
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‘Standard Kenya’ partners with Aga Khan to train journalists on modern skills

The Standard Group has partnered with Aga Khan University to train journalists in a one-year programme targeting young university graduates.

The programme has been ongoing with the first batch of trainees having gone through the training at the Standard Media Academy between November 2014 to July 2015. The trainees will have six month of classroom training, then spend the rest of the time working on Standard Group platforms.

Standard Group Chief Executive Officer Sam Shollei said they will get mentorship from the company’s journalists and other experts.

“This training started in 2015, this is the second group. We’ll equip them with skills to make them the voice of society…

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article ... ern-skills
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Dr Philip Wood - Historian

Aga Khan University

Published on Mar 3, 2017


Dr Philip Wood of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations shares his views on history and identity

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b81L6WeS1JQ
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http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/mombas ... 0-h99wsqz/

Daily Nation

Aga Khan University improving healthcare in four counties


Wednesday March 15 2017


In Summary

AKU works with the Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Kisii governments.
Prof Temmerman said although AKU had the capacity to expand to other counties, it relies on donor support.

y LUCAS BARASA
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The Aga Khan University (AKU) is working with four county governments to improve healthcare access to women and children.

The Aga Khan University Hospital director of Centre of Excellence Prof Marleen Temmerman and associate dean for Research, Prof William Macharia said the Canadian government is funding the four-year project at a cost of about Sh500 million.

Speaking to journalists before the launch of AKU Mombasa Research Office on Wednesday, Prof Temmerman said the funds will be used for project, evaluation, research and learning.

AKU works with the Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Kisii governments and is also involved in First Lady Margaret Kenyatta’s Beyond Zero campaign to give quality health care to expectant women.

MALNUTRITION

The project involves equipping and upgrading the county hospitals as well as providing quality healthcare services to new-born babies through treating infections and dealing with malnutrition.

At Mariakani hospital in Kilifi, AKU is assisting in upgrading the facility and is building a theatre at Kisii hospital.

Prof Macharia said they are working closely with county governments and that the launch of the research office marks a major achievement for the university at the coast.

He said the research office said will strengthen health administration and system in the region.

He said AKU is working with Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa counties to boost health care access for women and children and that the work was going on well.

WOMEN

There is also a surveillance platform for households on a monthly basis.

Prof Temmerman said although AKU had the capacity to expand to other counties, it relies on donor support.

“The funds used for programmes are specific. The ultimate goal is to serve women population,” she said.

Representatives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) and the county governments also attended the launch.

Prof Termmerman and Prof Macharia were happy that the doctors strike had ended saying it had adversely affected health services.

“But at the Aga Khan Hospital, the services were not disrupted,” Prof Macharia said.
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Dastangoi: An evening of storytelling at the PBS Donor Appreciation Dinner held on February 23, 2017

VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p6v8x9mHyk

Published on Mar 15, 2017


The Patients’ Behbud Society for Aga Khan University Hospital (PBS) is an independent, charitable society responsible for collecting and disbursing zakat. It was established in 2001, in order to help mustehiq patients access high quality medical treatment at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), its clinics and medical centres.

On February 23, 2017, PBS hosted a dinner at the Stadium Road Complex to recognise the donors and members of management who have made its journey successful. The highlight of the event was a mesmerising session of dastangoi or story telling by Fawad Khan, Nazrul Hassan and Syed Messam Naqvi.

For more information about PBS: http://pbs.akuh.org
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Regional study explores triggers of violence against women and girls in Pakistan

Fragmented policies against domestic violence, patriarchal household dynamics and harmful perceptions about gender roles leave women in Pakistan at risk of aggressive behaviour from men close to them, according to a new regional study whose findings were discussed by human rights activists, lawyers and researchers at a two day seminar at Aga Khan University on Friday.

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https://www.aku.edu/news/pages/News_Det ... EWS-001168
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The Humanities and Social Sciences Programme

Published on Mar 27, 2017


See what AKU students and faculty have to say about Humanities & Social Sciences programme offered as part of undergraduate medical education at Medical College in Pakistan

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J87cR25m1c0[/b]
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AKUH experts to help upgrade KMC hospitals

A joint board comprising representatives of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will conduct a study of all major hospitals under the KMC to prepare a feasibility plan for upgrades at all the medical facilities.

An agreement to this effect was reached on Tuesday as Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar paid a visit to the AKUH where he met with the health facility’s managing board. It was decided that once the plan was complete, the World Bank and other financial institutions would then be approached for assistance in its implementation.

In the meeting, according to the mayor, the AKUH team was briefed on the 13 major hospitals under the KMC, which include the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases and the Sobhraj Maternity Hospital.

He said the expertise and experience of the AKUH team would prove invaluable for effective upgrades at the KMC hospitals, particularly in the fields of nursing, infection control, human resources and emergency clinical facilities.

For the meeting, the mayor was accompanied by senior KMC officers while the AKUH representatives were Feroz Rasul, president and interim provost of AKUH; Johannes Theodorus Kedzierski, chief executive officer of AKUH; Shagufta S Hassan, chief operating officer for Clinical Laboratories and Outreach Services; and Karim Kassim Ali, the director finance for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/188014 ... -hospitals
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Regional maternal and child health conference opens in Kampala

By Violet Nabatanzi

Added 6th April 2017 10:52 AM
- See more at:

Over 100 participants are expected to attend a symposium on maternal and child health,a two day event organised by the Aga Khan University's Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Makerere University and UNICEF.The symposium that opens tomorrow and closes on Saturday, seeks to find viable solutions to health challenges related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in East Africa.Some of the issues to be discussed include the relevance of SDG goals to East Africa, child health and development, maternal and perinatal health priorities. -

http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/n ... ce-kampala
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Playing to Save a Life
.

Aga Khan University

Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN7xBFPaD6s


Published on Mar 30, 2017

Bilal Muneer explains the concept of "Mending Kids' Hearts" at AKU's Golf Tournament in Karachi
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Aga Khan university gathers health experts to discuss improving lives of mothers and children

VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8T2pFE9Bq4

Published on Apr 8, 2017


Health experts from across the world are meeting Kampala to determine how to improve the lives of mothers and children in East Africa. The two-day symposium was organized by Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, and School of Nursing and Midwifery. One of the experts, Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta told NTV about the resolutions they made.

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AKU-EB Principals' Conference 2016
.

VIDEO
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The BMJ launches special collection on Health in South Asia

Fertility rates in South Asia are the highest in Afghanistan followed by Pakistan. Since the last 14 years, Pakistan’s fertility rate has not decreased even by 1%. It was 4.1% in 2004 and 3.6% in 2014, says the BMJ coveted collection Health in South Asia.

The compilation, containing 12 articles, was launched at a ceremony in New Delhi. Over 60 researchers, from South Asia and outside, including experts from the Aga Khan University, have contributed to the collection, stressing what should be the regional health priorities and recommending actions to improve public health.

Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Founding Director of AKU’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and Co-Director of SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, Toronto and Dr Samiran Nundy, Dean of the Ganga Ram Institute for Postgraduate Medicine and Research (GRIPMER), India have steered this initiative.

“In order to deal with the issue of high fertility rates, the priority should be to educate people and empower each country’s women. Take the example of Bangladesh that took initiatives and invested in education and female empowerment. Today Bangladesh is far ahead of Pakistan in many maternal and child health indicators,” said Professor Bhutta. He added that empowered women are more inclined to seek healthcare when in need, have improved health, education and long term outcomes.

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A Kenya Hospital Merges Quality and Efficiency with Mission

Real-time operational metrics and staff development have helped make Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi a role model in Africa.

Africa, Facilities, Features, Healthcare delivery, IT & Digital Health, Leadership, Quality & Safety April 27, 2017

What does it take to become an effective healthcare facility in Africa, where much of the continent is marked by extraordinary needs and limited resources? In a series of profiles, GHCi’s Alex Freedman looks at operations and management strategies at three standout Africa hospitals, in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. This profile is the first in the series.



“We’re an American hospital in the heart of Africa,” says Shawn Bolouki, the CEO of Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. By “American hospital,” Bolouki means that the facility’s staff-to-patient ratio, its building codes, its safety measures — even its architects — are held to the standards of fully developed nations.

The results have helped make Aga Khan one of the most notable hospitals in all of Africa. In 2013 the hospital became one of only two sub-Saharan Africa operations, and the only one in East Africa, to achieve the much-sought-after and highly demanding accreditation from the Joint Commission International for quality and safety in patient care. (The other sub-Saharan JCI accreditation went to the Lagoon Hospitals Group, in Nigeria.) Bolouki says the hospital is currently applying for accreditation for its pathology and laboratory services from the U.S.-based College of American Pathologists, a respected evaluator of medical laboratory quality assurance.

The hospital’s achievements are helping to raise standards elsewhere in the continent. “We get a lot of requests from other hospitals in Africa to use our hospitals as a benchmark, especially when it comes to quality,” says Bolouki. The opportunity for Aga Khan to be a role model comes as the landscape for African healthcare services is changing dramatically. In Kenya, like many parts of Africa, the rates of noncommunicable diseases in urban middle-class populations are set to outpace infectious diseases and make up the lion’s share of the country’s disease burden by 2027. And according to projections by the Population Reference Bureau, the population in Africa is on pace to double from 1.1 billion in 2013 to 2.4 billion by 2050.

Various players in Africa's healthcare have been stepping up to help the continent to cope via collaboration. “The high growth rate can be a crisis or an opportunity,” says Dr. Amit Thakker, chairman of Africa Health Business, an organization working to establish a development platform for African private healthcare providers. Hospitals across the continent, he says, are looking to new pan-African collaborations for building robust healthcare systems. “You don’t always need to look at Europe, Asia or the U.S. to learn best practices in the health sector,” says Thakker. “Collaboration between African countries provides on-the-ground partnerships, giving Africa a stronger healthcare ecosystem.” Against that background, the presence of a higher-quality provider like Aga Khan takes on added significance.

The amount of care Aga Khan provides is substantial: In 2016, it had 17,000 hospital admissions, nearly 12,000 surgeries, 4,500 deliveries, 3 million lab tests, 1.8 million prescriptions, 120,000 radiation sessions, and over 600,000 visits to its 42 outpatient clinics across Kenya. The hospital provides post-graduate medical training to 100 residents and interns. It boasts state-of-the-art cardiology care as the first facility in East Africa to perform heart-valve replacement surgery via trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in 2015 — a minimally invasive interventional technique approved for use in the U.S. only in 2013. It is the only hospital in the region providing minimally invasive neurointerventional surgery, and it’s the first hospital to use a Trima Accel machine, an automated blood-collection device that extracts the platelets needed in the treatment of leukemia and cancer.

A key element of Aga Khan’s success is that it has achieved high quality while remaining accessible to much of the population and maintaining financial stability. Much of that rounded success is due to the executive acumen of Iranian-born Bolouki, who honed his management techniques in the U.S. He managed acute care and medical facilities throughout California for 26 years, including Tulare Regional Medical Center, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, and Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Healthcare Network. He was CEO of Tulare Regional Medical Center when he left it in 2014 to head up Aga Khan.

When Bolouki arrived in Kenya he took a good, hard look at where Aga Khan might need improvement. “I spent the first month just talking to people,” he says. Based on conversations with everyone, from department chairs and directors to faculty and employees, Bolouki decided to establish a new focus on analytics. He drafted a zero-based budget in which every expense had to be justified by its results. Rooting out opportunities to trim operating costs led to savings of US$8 million in his first six months, he says.

One major element of the transformation: Bolouki had the hospital’s IT team build a management dashboard that displays real-time data on patient numbers, revenue, and costs — and puts the numbers alongside those of other major hospitals across sub-Saharan Africa for comparison. Along with ongoing monthly financial projections from the hospital’s CFO, the dashboard helps his management team make fast, informed decisions to keep the operation in good ongoing fiscal health.

The metrics are openly shared across the organization, in keeping with what Bolouki says is his belief in the importance of managerial autonomy tied to common, interdependent goals. “My understanding with my colleagues is simple,” he says. “You are CEO of your department.” Managers keep track of departmental performance on monthly scorecards, and an all-or-nothing performance bonus goes out only if all managers hit their targets. “That leaves us all interdependent,” says Bolouki. “If one manager doesn’t control costs, then 35 people will get nothing.”

Aga Khan is part of an international family of hospitals and clinics that includes hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Karachi, Pakistan; and Mumbai, India. This hospital network, called Aga Khan Health Services, is part of the larger Aga Khan Development Network, a non-profit whose programs promote health, education, rural development and advancement of the arts in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. It was founded by Aga Khan IV, the Swiss-born, Nairobi-raised, Harvard-educated imam to Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, who Vanity Fair estimated in 2013 to be worth US$13.3 billion.

A not-for-profit private institution, Aga Khan accepts both public and private insurance, and also offers discounts to economically disadvantaged individuals paying out of pocket. Last year, 3,700 patients received free or reduced-cost treatment for cancer and heart disease through the hospital’s patient-welfare program. The hospital dispatches mobile clinics to rural areas and provides free preventative care, screening services, and basic healthcare access to 70,000 patients. Its public-good mission reaches across borders, too: When the only radiation therapy machine in neighboring Uganda broke down in 2016, Aga Khan offered free treatment to 400 Ugandian cancer patients.

Geography poses particular challenges. In the U.S., a technical problem with a state-of-the-art linear accelerator for radiation cancer treatment could be fixed in 30 minutes, notes Bolouki. But Kenya lacks trained technicians. “I have to train mechanical and electrical engineers to maintain this equipment,” he says. In fact, Aga Khan develops most of its staff in-house, relying on the local population as much as possible. “Nearly everyone I’ve promoted has been Kenyan,” says Bolouki. “Bringing in expatriates all the time is not the answer.”

While most of Kenya’s healthcare facilities are public facilities, especially in rural areas, the government provides only a third of the country’s total health expenditures. Private hospitals like Aga Khan have become an important part of the Kenyan infrastructure, and account for about another 40 percent of the country’s health expenditures. In general, health institutions in Kenya, which include not-for-profit institutions that offer community-based healthcare services, depend on a wide array of income streams, including the country’s National Health Insurance Fund, private health insurance and out-of-pocket spending.

But Bolouki says that streamlining the hospital’s delivery of services has allowed it to set prices competitively with public facilities. And that, in turn, has increased the volume of services delivered to patients, and driven occupancy rates up from about 65 percent to about 90 percent. “We gained market share, dropped our fixed cost per unit of service, and our margin improved,” boasts Bolouki.

It’s not hard to see why other hospitals are interested in learning from Aga Khan.

— Alex Freedman
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Aga Khan hospital unveils new clinic on Thika Road

Sunday, April 16, 2017 15:15


The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) has opened its first outreach clinic on Thika Road in Nairobi as it seeks to grow its business following increased demand along the superhighway.

The hospital, which has about 49 outpatient clinics in Kenya and a few others in Tanzania and Uganda, opened its latest facility at a new building next to Mountain Mall, Ruaraka.

Aga Khan’s venture to Thika Road sees it join hospitals such as Mater Hospital, Avenue Healthcare and Gertrudes Children Hospital which have operations either in the popular Thika Road Mall or Garden City.

Private hospitals in the country have in recent years stepped up the opening of satellite clinics, radically changing the face of healthcare services by taking facilities closer to patients.

Nairobi Hospital, for instance, is set to spend up to Sh600 million in opening up to six new satellite outpatient clinics over the next one-and-a-half years at strategic locations across the country.

The first of these clinics would be opened next month at the upcoming Kiambu Mall, targeting residents of the bustling town and neighbouring estates such as the upmarket Runda Estate.
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WEEK 8 | Universities: Learning from the past for the future

VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1t6cID_rLk

Published on Apr 7, 2017


Presenters:
Dr. Sadia Bhutta, Aga Khan University, Institute of Education Development, Pakistan
Dr. Hubert Ertl, Oxford University
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Welfare at AKUH: Through the eyes of a patient

VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0iAMnKDKg

Aga Khan University

Published on Apr 18, 2017


Shazia is a strong advocate of the AKUH Patient Welfare Programme. Her journey began here when she was diagnosed with cancer and had little hope of treatment due to severe financial constraints. Later, she learned that she would receive the entire treatment through welfare assistance. Today, Shazia is cured and is able to live a full and healthy life.
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Storied Lives of Muslim Women in the Diaspora

by Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

Date and Time

Thu 11 May 2017
18:00 – 19:00 BST

Add to Calendar

Location

Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations
210 Euston Road
Room 2.3
London
NW1 2DA
United Kingdom

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https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/storied- ... 3925832077
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UBC Professor continues to make change in East African Classrooms

A UBC researcher has recently returned from Africa as a continuation of her eight-year project with colleagues at Aga Khan University that encourages teachers and students to think outside the box when it comes to traditional learning techniques.

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https://news.ok.ubc.ca/education/2016/1 ... lassrooms/
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Business Daily
Aga Khan in deal with Harvard to train executives
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 20:11


Ivy League university Harvard has partnered with Aga Khan University to offer a series of courses for senior executives.

The courses aimed at sharpening the leadership and communication skills of the managers will be offered at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC). The programme targets senior leaders in business, government, civil society and media.

“The courses are designed to offer senior leaders a unique learning experience that will change the way they think about leadership and communicate in their professional and personal lives,” said the founding dean of GSMC, Michael Meyer.

READ: Aga Khan University seeks closer govt ties on healthcare training

ALSAO READ: Aga Khan hospital unveils new clinic on Thika Road

The first week-long course begins in November, followed by a second module in February.

“We live in an era of accelerating change and unprecedented complexity. Organisational strategies today will be obsolete if not self-defeating tomorrow. Success requires agile leadership and intelligent communication,” said Mr Meyer.

“That is why we are proud to offer an extraordinary opportunity to sharpen two of the most vital skills demanded by these challenging times.”

To qualify for the course, one needs to be a proven, or emerging senior leader with a minimum of a ten-year experience, and “be in a position that involves leading others and making mission-critical decisions”.

The programme also accepts those who have a personal leadership challenges that they wish to address as well as those looking for the opportunity “to reflect, to connect with oneself and to re-examine their leadership in a global context”.

Upon graduation, the leaders will become part of a global network of leaders from a professionally and geographically diverse class and faculty.
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The Heart of a Midwife

VIDEO

Published on Jun 23, 2017
Loveluck Mwasha, an alumna of School of Nursing and Midwifery in East Africa and Pakistan, talks about her 30-year journey with AKU as a student, midwife and an instructor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WqUJZM721k
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Muslim Cultures in the Indian Ocean

Diversity and Pluralism, Past and Present


September 12-14, 2018
London

Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

This conference aims to explore the diversity of Muslim cultures prevalent in the Indian Ocean region where, historically, Muslims have interacted for centuries with each other and with other peoples and cultures. Islam not only provided the scaffolding that facilitated cultural exchanges but was also the pivot for transforming local societies. The conference seeks to bring together experts from different disciplines and backgrounds including archaeologists, historians, sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, and scholars of related disciplines to explore various facets of this diversity. This conference marks a reconnaissance of the Indian Ocean not as a periphery but as a centre for the study of Muslim cultures.

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ismailimail.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/conference-muslim-cultures-in-the-indian-ocean-diversity-and-pluralism-past-and-present/
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