Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead lamented that one should “never doubt that
a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the World”.
“Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” she said.
اضافة اعلان
While many may prefer the relatively easy road of
accepting the status quo, there are always a few who, despite witnessing an
immovably harsh reality, care enough to envisage a better future and take an
initiative, who rally support and make a real difference.
In Jordan, a landmark example is Himmetna, the civil
society organization focused on improving circumstances for healthcare service
users. Translated loosely but befittingly, himmetna can mean “our effort” or
“our drive”; fortunately, the team behind it went far beyond just choosing a
good name for themselves. Since its inception, a mere three years ago, the
organization has united different partners around a noble and singular goal. It
has implemented intuitive effective solutions and simply pressed on, garnering
much well-deserved recognition in the process.
The founder, Fadia Samara, comes from a healthcare
leadership background and has a personal commitment to reaffirm the
healthcare-related rights of people. Latterly, this has been through her work
with the Patient Protection Coalition and elsewhere. Second only to her role as
a devoted mother, she has made it her life’s work to ensure that as many
persons as possible have access to effective and appropriate care in a timely,
affordable and dignified manner.
The concept of meaningful “universal health
coverage” remains surprisingly unattainable for many around the globe,
overshadowed by limited resources or strong backwinds and special interests.
Notably, even the US is still struggling, and not always moving forward, to
achieve this for its population, despite immense national spending on
healthcare.
In Jordan, we can call upon virtually all the
medical and allied healthcare expertise that we need. We can access the latest
evidence-based treatments and technology and are able to plan and design
facilities in a way that adheres to global standards. By focusing on deploying
healthcare coverage and services in a value-driven and equitable way, embracing
innovative practices while leveraging comprehensive primary and preventative
care, we should be able to drive continuous improvement in outcomes and
wellbeing of our population.
What can be more pressing and worthwhile than
ensuring ease of access for those seeking care, than making services
effectively available where they are not, and securing healthcare equitably,
irrespective of distance or affordability.
Government investment in healthcare should be optimized and directed at areas where institutions can perform most effectively or even exclusively, ensuring a level of protection and coverage for the most vulnerable, sidelined communities, with overarching strategies based on up-to-date information and feedback.
Having defined the goal, Samara rightfully
recognized that the components required were at hand: human capital, knowledge,
financing, and the ability to coordinate efforts and channel them into a single
service stream. Like much of Jordan’s resources, these simply needed to be
mined. Next came a strong governance structure and a committed team with
complementary skill sets, mutual trust, a clear strategy and a lean
transformation model implementable within the prevailing context.
Through the best efforts of medical planners,
designers, project managers and engineers, Himmetna created better places to
work and be cared for, functional, comfortable and, moreover, attractive. This
physical environment in turn helps to galvanize the desired organizational
culture and sets the tone for productive patient-provider relationship. When
environments are optimized and become conducive to recovery, it is not just the
patient’s experience that improves, but also the clinical outcomes.
Himmetna works tirelessly to ensure that its
services are truly sustainable.
The roll-out started with the oncology department at
Al-Bashir Hospital, followed by the isolation and critical care unit at the
King Hussein Medical City, the medical center at the King Abdullah II Special
Operations Training Center and the recently announced rehabilitation works at
the Princess Basma health center in Ras Al-Ain. Each project is worthy of its
own healthcare management case study: the needs assessment, the stakeholder
engagement, the multi-disciplinary work, the efficiency of execution, and the
palpable effect on patient access and experience are all there.
Credibility has now been firmly established and a
nimble, independent-minded model has evolved into a successful results-based
partnership between civil society, the business sector and official bodies that
provide healthcare in Jordan.
Himmetna’s private enterprise supporters must be
recognized for their generous contributions, whether financial or through
volunteering valuable time and expertise. In synchrony, the astute leadership
within the Ministry of Health and of the Royal Medical Services have
demonstrated that they are motivated to work with partners who share the same
values and interest in promoting Jordanians’ health and wellbeing.
Government investment in healthcare should be
optimized and directed at areas where institutions can perform most effectively
or even exclusively, ensuring a level of protection and coverage for the most
vulnerable, sidelined communities, with overarching strategies based on
up-to-date information and feedback.
State-funded bodies are better positioned to provide
fair oversight and equity of access, regardless of financial ability or
location. They will spearhead those services that represent social good —
public health, emergency response and prevention — and can integrate such
efforts with other government bodies striving for a multi-dimensional state of
societal wellbeing, including social, legislative and economic aspects.
While Himmetna is patient-centered, it is also
participatory; it builds communities locally and nationally and keeps its
growing audience happily updated on its efforts and milestones.
A recently launched crowd-funding campaign invites
anyone to contribute as little as half a dinar to ongoing projects. A growing
sense of ownership will ensue as more of us become backers and beneficiaries.
Movements like this exist to demonstrate the
potential reaches of a grassroots initiative framed by a clear vision. I urge
you to join its growing base of active supporters and to even one day envisage
and realize your own himmeh; we can certainly do with more of those.
The
writer is an ophthalmologist, medical researcher, health care executive, policy
expert and consultant.
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