Africa Health Placements
Member profile
Africa Health Placements (AHP) is an organisation with a mission: to support and enhance healthcare systems in Africa, by finding, placing and retaining healthcare workers in rural and underserved areas. Since our inception in 2005, we have placed over 2170 (as at AHPs July 2011 review) doctors in southern Africa, half of whom are foreign nationals.
Main activities
AHP's main activities include:
- Facilitating the processing of candidate applications within the framework of very strict governmental regulations
- Interacting with hospitals at an operational level, to ensure that candidates that have been placed can actually settle down, survive and thrive
- Continuously advocating for rural and public health as a career choice
Over time, these capabilities have evolved and our scope now extends to the following areas:
- Consulting
- Recruitment
- Orientation
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Advocacy and information
Links to the health workforce crisis
Africa’s greatest obstacle in the public (and particularly rural) healthcare environment is a lack of qualified professionals. Our aim is to fill the gaps, and ultimately to help people view the public sector (and civil society organisations working in public service) in a new light - as truly viable and exciting career options.
We work with a network of partners, including governments, the private sector and civil society in order to make this happen, using a model that we like to call “social profit”. The bulk of our services are donor funded and delivered free of charge, but we are also partially self-sustaining, through a professional locum placement service. We operate in a businesslike manner, focused on service delivery and effective marketing communications.
