A coalition of leading African civil society groups called on the World Bank to exit its investments in for-profit hospitals, following a Bloomberg News investigation that found some facilities backed by the fund detained patients for unpaid bills and denied others emergency care until they demonstrated an ability to pay.
Citing Bloomberg’s findings, the Africa Public Services coalition said the World Bank’s ongoing support for private hospitals was having a “devastating impact” on low-income patients and demanded that the fund investigate the practices at the facilities that it finances. The open letter was signed by 53 public service groups and individuals from across the region, including the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights in Uganda and Oxfam.
