Objective:

The overall objective of GHP and the Lagos State Government is to engage in partnerships in order to address various aspects of contemporary modernization of healthcare facilities including: upgrading the infrastructure; capacity building to assure effective and efficient management of the facility and its services; training on various categories of health workers and technical and administrative staff to improve quality of clinical care and support services; monitoring and evaluation of service performance and economic outcomes in order to assure sustainable operation; and examine strategies to cover expenses for services provided to indigent clients.

Specific objectives of the plausibility check

The plausibility check was conducted in close collaboration with local experts, in order to develop a comprehensive assessment of the requirements and possible strategies of such partnerships. The plausibility check comprised the following components:

(1) Broad assessment of the current healthcare system in the State of Lagos with particular focus on hospital care, especially on secondary care level;

(2) Assessment of the suitability of the Randle General Hospital in Surulere and the Isolo General Hospital for the project (i.e. potentials in terms of location, infrastructure and equipment and staffing already available, characteristics of the catchment areas and their social and economic perspectives, etc.);

(3) Assessment of needs for rehabilitation of the two hospitals or specific subunits with regard to architectural and functional design, technical infrastructure, medical and non-medical equipment and HR development;

(4) Evaluation of the suitability of the facilities for expansion of services and integration of new (commercial) medical & non-medical services.

Content:

A team of 8 experts (coordinator, medical and public health expert, finance expert, architect, medical equipment expert and hospital planners from Germany and Nigeria) conducted the plausibility check. The adopted methodology consisted of a quick assessment of hospital performance, possible strategies for necessary upgrading, identification of requirements for strategy alignment and rehabilitation, equipment and human resources development. In addition, potential co-financing partners were identified and met in order to get general commitment for the next phase.

• Providing the coordinator;
• Analysis of available documents and preparation of the field mission:
  • Kick-off meeting with project development team
  • Defining the pilot project prerequisites
  • Identifying two hospitals for the plausibility check
  • Setting the agenda for the plausibility check
• Carrying out the field mission:
  • An initial briefing with key partners
  • Stakeholder meetings
  • Site visits to Randle and Isolo General Hospitals and their new maternal and child health complexes
  • Analysis of operational reports
  • Expert interviews
  • Meeting private banks and equity investors
  • Final debriefing, discussion and agreement for future directions and how to proceed;
• Close coordination with the client;
• Reporting to the client and partners
• Development of a detailed activity plan for next steps.