Forbes Names PharmAccess among Top 50 Brands in Nigeria

Martins Ifijeh

Forbes Africa has named PharmAccess Nigeria as one of the top 50 brands making a difference in Nigeria, based on a corporate social responsibility and sustainability ranking in its December 2019/ January 2020 publication.

According to the publication, the ranking combines assessments from 910 organisations operating in Nigeria over the last 13 years. The criteria include participation and recognition in national and international investments in CSR/ Sustainability during the period under review. There was a focus on the organisation’s work in realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the number of stakeholders impacted, as well as a close look at PharmAccess’ sustainability efforts and impacts.

In a statement by Nigeria’s Country Director, PharmAccess, Njide Ndili, she described the rating as an indication of PharmAccess’ commitment towards improving health outcomes and achieving the Universal Health Coverage 2030 agenda.

She said: ‘’As an entrepreneurial organization, focused on using digital technology, with this recognition, we hope to galvanise more support for our work as we strive to facilitate access to health insurance across Nigeria using innovative models.

“The selection is a result of our commitment to improving health outcomes in Nigeria. Since 2007, we have supported the development of health insurance to finance and deliver affordable and better healthcare in Kwara, Adamawa, Delta and Lagos states.”

According to Forbes Africa, the ranking will also be presented to the Global 100 sustainability ranking.

Adding, she said: “The ranking also provides a platform for promoting the rapid and viable growth we are now seeing in the CSR and Sustainability industry in Nigeria.

“PharmAccess Nigeria’s work in Kwara State has since become a model for Nigeria in providing quality healthcare to low-income people (as announced at the Presidential Summit on Universal Health Coverage in March 2014) and recognised by the Financial Times/International Financial Corporation Transformational Business Award 2016 in the category of Maternal and Infant Health. This has also catalyzed the other State governments to implement state led mandatory health insurance schemes with the potential to reduce out of pocket catastrophic expenditure for millions of Nigerians.

“In Delta State, Nigeria, PharmAccess led the development of public-private partnership models both at the primary and secondary levels of care through the Medical Credit Fund (MCF) and Access to Finance Framework. Several run-down, non-functional government primary healthcare centers have been revitalized through a unique partnership between PharmAccess’ Medical Credit Fund, Bank of Industry and the State Governments. This partnership enables the provision of funding to selected private sector organizations to take over the nonfunctional facilities. To date, 25 private healthcare centers in Delta State have undergone phenomenal transformations while enabling remote and excluded communities’ access to healthcare quality healthcare services,” she said.

PharmAccess Nigeria was the only healthcare organisation to receive this rating within the top 50 brands