Why It’s Time to Redefine ‘Public Good’ in African Healthcare

 Why It’s Time to Redefine ‘Public Good’ in African Healthcare

For decades, the idea of the “public good” in healthcare across Africa has been synonymous with government ownership. Public hospitals, government-run clinics, and donor-funded programs have long been seen as the primary custodians of equitable care. But today, amid shifting healthcare demands, rising populations, and persistent resource gaps, this traditional definition no longer serves the continent's most vulnerable.

In an era where need outpaces capacity, it's time to ask:
What truly defines public good in healthcare—is it ownership, or is it outcomes?

Across Kenya and Africa, private healthcare institutions are stepping in not to compete—but to contribute. They are not replacing the public sector but reinforcing it, offering scalable, ethical, and people-centered care solutions that align with the very ideals of the public good.

At the forefront of this redefinition is Jayesh Saini, a healthcare leader whose vision has blurred the once rigid line between public and private—replacing it with a more vital distinction: service vs. neglect, integrity vs. inefficiency, action vs. apathy.

The Problem: Outdated Definitions, Unmet Needs

Public hospitals remain the backbone of healthcare access in most African countries. However, systemic underfunding, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and staffing shortages have made it difficult for them to meet the growing needs of diverse populations—especially in rural and low-income communities.

The result?

• Long queues and overburdened infrastructure.
  
  

• Limited diagnostic capabilities and drug stockouts.
  
  

• Delayed surgeries, absentee doctors, and staff fatigue.
  
  

• A growing distrust in government institutions, even as they remain the only option for many.
  
  

In this vacuum, private providers have emerged—not as a luxury for the elite, but as a lifeline for the underserved.

Yet, despite their growing impact, they are often excluded from conversations about the public good. They are viewed through a lens of suspicion: profit-driven, inaccessible, or disconnected from community needs. This perception fails to recognize one essential fact:
Ethics, not ownership, is the true currency of public benefit.

The Solution: Ethical Private Healthcare That Serves the Public

Private healthcare doesn’t automatically equate to exclusion or exploitation. When guided by ethical principles, inclusive pricing models, and community engagement, private institutions can—and do—operate in the public interest.

This is precisely the model that Project J-affiliated institutions like Lifecare Hospitals and Bliss Healthcare are demonstrating across Kenya. Founded and shaped by Jayesh Saini, these organizations operate with a public mission—delivering affordable, reliable, and dignified care to hundreds of thousands of Kenyans every year.

Here’s how these institutions are redefining the meaning of public good:

1. Universal Access Without Ownership

Lifecare Hospitals serve patients across income levels, offering tiered services, NHIF integration, and subsidized community outreach programs. The care is private, but the doors are public. Anyone can walk in, be treated, and receive continued care—without fear of being turned away.

2. Mission-Driven Operations

These institutions are outcome-oriented, not just revenue-oriented. Performance is measured not only in financial terms but in lives improved, maternal mortality prevented, and chronic diseases managed.

3. Transparency and Accountability

With digital health records, real-time patient feedback systems, and transparent billing, Saini’s healthcare model ensures accountability at every level. This is a level of transparency often absent even in public systems.

4. Workforce Investment

Staff at Project J-linked facilities receive ongoing training in clinical ethics, communication, and compassionate care—ensuring the patient is treated not just as a case, but as a human being. The system prioritizes respect as much as results.

5. Service in Marginalized Areas

From remote counties to urban slums, Saini’s healthcare networks are deliberately expanding into areas traditionally neglected by public health investment—offering care where it's most needed, not just where it's most profitable.

The Vision: Jayesh Saini’s New Healthcare Ethic

Jayesh Saini has long argued that public good is not defined by who owns the hospital—but by how the hospital treats the public.

His vision for healthcare in Africa is one where private institutions operate with public ethics:

• Where pricing is inclusive, not exploitative.
  
  

• Where services are standardized, not inconsistent.
  
  

• Where data guides decisions, and patients guide reforms.
  
  

• Where community need—not corporate gain—drives expansion.
  
  

This model is not hypothetical—it is already in motion across dozens of facilities managed under the Project J umbrella. And it’s proving that private healthcare can be ethical, accessible, and deeply rooted in social justice.

A Call to Reframe the Debate

Africa’s healthcare future depends on partnerships, not polarization. The binary thinking that labels public care as good and private care as selfish is outdated and counterproductive.

If the goal is to serve the people, then the sector that does so with dignity, transparency, and compassion is already operating in the public interest—whether or not it carries a government logo.

Jayesh Saini’s work challenges governments, funders, and civil society to reframe the debate. It’s no longer about public vs. private. It’s about ethical vs. unethical, effective vs. ineffective, inclusive vs. inaccessible.

Conclusion: What Defines Public Good Is How the Public Is Treated

Healthcare is a human right. But how that right is fulfilled—through public systems, private providers, or hybrid models—must be judged not by ideology, but by impact.

Jayesh Saini’s model offers a timely reminder that serving the public is about values, not titles. And in today’s complex healthcare landscape, it is those values—of service, inclusion, and integrity—that matter most.

As African nations pursue stronger, more resilient health systems, they must look beyond outdated definitions. Because the question is no longer who owns the hospital, but who puts the patient first.