The International Finance Corporation (IFC) Country manager for Ghana, Ms. Ronke Ogunsulire, disclosed that the IFC would invest $3 million in Quest Medical Imaging (QMI) to build new medical diagnostic facilities in Ghana.
Ms. Ronke, also revealed that the IFC has signed a partnership agreement with South African radiology specialist Bergman, Ross, and Partners Incorporated (BRP) to increase access to world-class medical diagnostic services in Ghana.
“Under the partnership, IFC would invest roughly $3 million in signing the partnership agreement in Accra.”
Ms. Ronke Ogunsulire
This investment, Ms. Ronke indicates will complement the existing facilities in Ghana that provide ultrasound, fluoroscopy, digital X-ray, 3D mammography, Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
The new facilities are expected to be operational by the end of 2022 and will help QMI serve more than 5,000 patients monthly, up from the 3,000 it serves currently. It will also increase the number of scanners and other diagnostic equipment in the country, she disclosed.
Furthermore, she disclosed that IFC’s investment in the expansion of QMI will increase Ghana’s domestic capacity for diagnostic services and strengthen the resilience of its health system to deal with future stress.
Ms. Ronke further disclosed that BRP’s digital systems enable its radiologists to import images from distant locations for analysis, something expected to allow QMI to expand outside Accra and into other parts of Ghana.
Additionally, Ms. Ronke highlighted the training of Ghanaian technicians by BRP to undertake world-class medical diagnostics.
“This investment will be IFC’s third in healthcare in Ghana since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The combined value of those investments is more than $10 million. As we deal with the present emergency, IFC is also thinking beyond the pandemic.”
Ms. Ronke Ogunsulire
Demand for medical diagnostic facilities
Meanwhile, Jack Bergman, Founder and Managing Partner of BRP, said the company had seen a surge in demand for its services to 50 percent in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“We have responded by expanding our operations to seven days a week. With IFC’s support, the new facilities will help us meet the needs of our patients for world-class medical diagnostic imaging and analysis.”
Ms. Ronke Ogunsulire
Furthermore, Ms. Ronke stated that the IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.
Ms. Ronke Ogunsulire
“In the fiscal 2020 year, we invested $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.”
Ms. Ronke also explained that IFC’s investment in QMI fell under IFC’s Global Health Platform, which mobilised private investment to close the massive healthcare supply gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
BRP was established in 1995 as a small radiology practice in Cape Town by Jack Bergman, Bergman, Ross, and Partners Incorporated (BRP).
Currently, it is part of a group of 20 radiology diagnostic centers across South Africa, where the company is headquartered, and Ghana, serving more than 15,000 patients a month.
BRP’s operations in Ghana are carried out under a separate entity, Quest Medical Imaging Limited (QMI Ghana). Both BRP and QMI Ghana provide a full range of diagnostic services, including ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, CT digital X-rays, fluoroscopy, and mammography.
Across its South Africa and Ghana centers, BRP has treated over 2,600 COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began.
READ ALSO: Structural reforms needed to sustain and develop CEMAC- David Malpass
