One Family Health

Updated Mar 11, 2020

One Family Health

OFH is a social enterprise that operates a franchise of nurse-owned and operated primary care clinics bringing affordable, quality care to underserved communities.

www.onefamilyhealth.org

Lila Cruikshank

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Stage 4: Transition to Scale

OFH operates more than 120 primary health clinics in Rwanda and is seeking funding to help us reach our primary goal to open 500 clinics and achieve financial sustainability in Rwanda, and then to expand beyond Rwanda.

Focus Areas:

Health, Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment

Implemented In:

Rwanda

1,592,637

Lives Impacted to Date

Key Partner

Country Implemented In

Employees

$2,000,000

Funds Raised to Date

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Problem

At least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services. Lack of access to quality health services causes unnecessary illness and death from preventable and treatable diseases; furthermore, it inhibits economic growth and security against disease outbreaks. Globally, governments are increasingly committed to universal health coverage (UHC) as not only a moral imperative but also a priority investment in healthier, more productive populations.

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Solution

OFH offers a sustainable solution to help governments achieve universal health coverage (UHC) and help under-served communities build health as an asset. Using a franchise model, OFH enables nurses to become business owners that provide essential medicines and basic healthcare services in isolated communities. OFH clinics deliver sustainable, high-quality treatment and prevention of the most common causes of community illness such as respiratory infections and parasites.

Target Beneficiaries

OFH serves communities located furthest from existing health facilities. In Rwanda, OFH patients are primarily from rural areas, with at most a primary education, and from the lowest socio-economic levels. Most families in OFH communities typically work their own farms or work as wage farmers; they pay a subsidized rate for national health insurance coverage, which gives them access to OFH health posts.

Mission and Vision

OFH’s mission is to improve access to quality essential medicines and basic healthcare services in isolated communities, using a sustainable business model to help underserved communities build health as an asset.

Innovation Description

OFH operates under a public-private partnership that links the private, franchised OFH clinic network with the public health system and national health insurance. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, OFH has operated in Rwanda since 2012; OFH currently operates 125 health posts across 14 Districts and has provided services to nearly 2 million Rwandans who previously had limited access to healthcare. OFH health posts participate in the national health insurance program, ensuring the affordability of care for the most vulnerable Rwandans. Patients with insurance pay only a small co-payment for each visit, while those lacking insurance can pay a moderate fee out-of-pocket. OFH does not build clinics, but uses facilities provided by local government partners. Clinics are owned and operated by qualified local nurses, a majority of whom are female, who receive training in financial management and operations as well as clinical skills, enabling them to become successful entrepreneurs. As small business owners, the nurses are motivated to provide the most critical services to their community during the most convenient hours. OFH’s primary care health posts focus on conditions that comprise the majority of illnesses in rural communities. To date, the diseases most commonly treated in OFH health posts are diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infections and malaria, which contribute more than 30% of under-five deaths in Rwanda.

Competitive Advantage

OFH’s key innovation is our business model, which combines the use of franchising with a partnership strategy that will enable OFH to achieve financial sustainability while helping government to efficiently deliver care to the most vulnerable. The model reduces the financial and operational burden on the government and leverages financing from both public and private partners to achieve a pathway to universal access.

Planned Goals and Milestones

OFH has a three-year plan to open 150 additional clinics, the next phase on our path to 500 clinics and financial sustainability by 2026. OFH is seeking additional grant funding and low-interest loan financing to reach our goals in Rwanda.

The Team Behind the Innovation

OFH is led by Founder and CEO Dr. Gunther Faber, who brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Faber's extensive leadership experience and work with government officials provide a strong foundation for his role to establish and lead a strong OFH management team and partnerships. In Rwanda, OFH is led by country director Maggie Chirwa, MBA, who has more than 10 years of experience in pharmaceutical and non-profit management in addition to having worked as a nurse. Ms. Chirwa's leadership, project management, and clinical skills prepare her for the challenge of leading OFH through growth while maintaining strong partner relationships and ensuring quality.