Introduction
Riders for Health ensures vehicles used by health workers in sub-Saharan Africa stay in good working order. This in turn ensures healthcare can be delivered to millions of people in the region. By being proactive and providing regular maintenance of ambulances and motorbikes, the vehicles last longer and are less likely to break down. As a result, users of the service are able to deliver healthcare services across rural parts of Africa more predictably and cost-effectively.
The professional and humanitarian qualities of the Oliver Wyman team cannot be overstated. We are amazed and impressed by their work, which gives a bright future to healthcare logistics across AfricaAndrea Coleman, Co-Founder, Riders for Health
Scope
In The Gambia, the local team from Riders for Health had pioneered a new initiative where they leased vehicles for an eight-year term and provided any required maintenance. We were invited to help review the financial performance of the new initiative, which incorporated 250 vehicles, evaluate how to strengthen its long-term sustainability, and help plan how to roll the programme out in other countries. The first four weeks of the work was based in The Gambia, and the next month in Lesotho.
I feel hugely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside the teams in The Gambia and Lesotho. There are few moments in my professional life which have been more rewarding and humbling than meeting the people who benefit from the Riders for Health servicesMargery Infield, Senior Consultant, Oliver Wyman
Impact
Our work has enabled Riders for Health to build a sustainable and expandable vehicle leasing program for the future. We identified financial and operational pressures facing the Gambian program and what could be done to alleviate them. In Lesotho, we helped design a financial plan that would support the delivery of more such programs. Armed with this information, the international team at Riders for Health were able to map out their next steps to bring leasing to their Lesotho operations and elsewhere. In the near future, the program will increase the number of people that can receive vital healthcare.