PPP hospital in Lesotho

Lesotho, a small mountainous country in Southern Africa, has been beset by a health crisis since 1990s. It has a 74 per cent HIV/TB co-infection rate; nearly one in nine children die before their fifth birthday. The Princess Elizabeth Hospital was run down: Up-to-date treatment was only available in Pretoria or Johannesburg

The Government of Lesotho had initiated options for a new national hospital since the 1970s. Finally, in 2007, Netcare (South Africa) was awarded the contract, which formed a consortium with local companies, and in October 2008 an 18-year PPP agreement was signed between the Government of Lesotho and the new company, Tsepong. The three refurbished primary care clinics opened in May 2010 and later, with the World Bank Group grant, the upgraded Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital opened in October 2011

SDG 3: Improved preventative services in primary care, promoting good health and well-being

SDG 5: Women were involved in the design of the service and as a result the maternity services greatly improved

SDG 9: Modern curative services to all citizens of Lesotho available, due to improved infrastructure

SDG10: Boost of primary care services, as funding was generated under the terms of the agreement to set up four clinics in rural areas, thus supporting vulnerable communities

SDG 16: Decline in mortality rates of infants due to improved services and stronger health-care facilities in Lesotho; and

SDG 17: PPP to modernize facilities and give access to care in Lesotho

The Project:

• Multiplied economic effectiveness with impact on human well-being;
• Increased access to essential services and promoted equity and social justice; and
• Can be easily replicated and scaled up to achieve the transformation impact required by the 2030 Agenda

This case study aspires to be People-first Public-Private Partnerships project and is published as received from the proponents.