Unjani Clinics NPC, a non-profit organization which has a goal of improving access to primary healthcare in South Africa, has grown exponentially from six pilot clinics to 54 clinics nationwide. The business model is based on the idea of empowering black South African nurses to work as entrepreneurs who own and operate their own clinics in a country where demand for affordable primary healthcare is substantial. CEO Lynda Toussaint has ambitions to expand to 1,000 clinics by 2030 and to make primary care accessible in rural communities, where the inequality between public and private healthcare provision is stark. The case allows for a discussion of whether Unjani’s nurse-led franchise model is sustainable and replicable in communities across South Africa.
The case can be used to explore concepts and frameworks of strategy, social entrepreneurship, sustainability and innovation in the context of healthcare in emerging markets. Specific topics include: the opportunities and challenges of providing primary care for low-income populations; the dual role of nurses as clinical service providers and business managers; franchising a social enterprise; scaling a healthcare service business in emerging markets.
- Healthcare innovation
- Primary care clinics
- Health franchise model
- Scaling health clinics
- Scaling in emerging markets
- Social franchising
- Social impact
- Healthcare in Africa
- Container clinic
- Nurse entrepreneur
- Nurse-led clinic
- Q12020