One Family Health - Case Study
One Family Health is a network of 107 small-scale medical clinics in Rwanda, and our founder Greg Starbird was there at its inception.
In 2007, Greg flew to Rwanda on behalf of The HealthStore Foundation with only a powerpoint presentation, a local bishop's phone number, and a vision to launch a network of medical clinics in Rwanda.
After a lot of hard work and finalizing an MOU with the Ministry of Health, Greg and a growing team led by Gunther Faber, who was instrumental in attracting funding and negotiating the partnership with the government, were able to open three small-scale, private medical clinics and successfully advocate a formal Public-Private Partnership with the Ministry of Health.
Today, Gunther sill runs One Family Health and has grown the network to 107 small-scale medical clinics, each owned and operated by a local nurse. The One Family Health network operates in partnership with the MoH of Rwanda. Success like this—which involved many bumps along the road—required a combination of technical know-how, intercultural awareness, and interpersonal skills. Key activities included:
Networking and negotiating with the Minister of Health and the head of the President’s Cabinet;
Negotiating supply chain mechanics, pricing, quality control, etc. with suppliers;
Analyzing the regulatory environment, cultural mores, key players, and gaps in healthcare delivery;
Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring local staff in Kigali;
Tapping international global health experts and franchise executives to inform our launch / growth sequence;
Preparing financial projections, business plans, grant applications, and social investment documentation to attract and update funders;
Drafting PPP documents for negotiation with the MoH;
Successfully advocating for payments from mutual insurance pools to franchised clinics;
Working with a S. African technology company to inform a software application to collect clinic data and submit insurance claims documentation;
Etc…numerous course corrections along the way.