Our Team
Dr. Nelson Gitonga
The Founder and CEO of IHA, Ltd, is a recognized leader and expert in the region on health systems strengthening, healthcare financing and healthcare management. In recent years, Dr. Gitonga has applied his Kenya experience to other countries in the region – Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Uganda – in health systems strengthening technical areas such as private sector engagement, healthcare financing (UHC initiatives, public and private health insurance, micro-insurance and vouchers), health infrastructure and technology, provider networks and supply chain strengthening.
He has participated in several private sector assessments (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi). Dr. Gitonga has facilitated the innovative public-private dialogue forum such as PPP-Health Kenya and PPP-Health Tanzania. He has been in the forefront of health care management, health service delivery improvement and health insurance in Kenya. He has extensive experience evaluating and designing various health programs in Kenya.
Ms. Barbara O’Hanlon
Senior Associate, is a global thought leader and practitioners in international health policy design and implementation with over 35 years’ experience. Ms. O’Hanlon is a pioneer in the areas of private sector policy reforms, public-private dialogue, and health public-private partnerships. Currently, is a member of World Health Organization’s Private Sector Advisory group charged to develop guidance for government ministries on how to effectively steward mixed health systems.
In the last 17 years, she has worked with several low and middle-income health ministries to conduct private health sector assessments, analyze key health markets for private sector opportunities, formulate private sector policies, and establish health PPP Units. Ms. O’Hanlon has also supported several African health ministries to engage the private sector using a variety of policy instruments such as policy dialogue, contracting and other financial mechanisms, and public-private partnerships.
She also provides assist African healthcare federations to become viable membership organizations and strengthen their technical capacity to represent the private sector voice in policy design and implementation. As one of the co-authors of the MM4H course, Ms. O’Hanlon has trained health ministry officials from over 15 countries and development partner public health staff in the managing health markets approach. Ms. O’Hanlon’s firm consults for a wide range of clients active in global health policy including the World Bank Group, UK Aid, USAID, World Health Organization, among others. Ms. O’Hanlon has a M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University.
Dr. Ambrose A. Nyangao
is a trained medical doctor with post graduate training on health systems management and a post graduate diploma in Global Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship (GSSE). Nyangao’s key interest is to see demand side health financing become efficient and sustainable for the overall benefit of clients and investors in healthcare. Dr Nyangao has vast experience in health delivery in the private sector especially in quality and health financing. Dr. Nyangao has been a practitioner and an administrator in public and private hospitals and held senior management positions in the commercial health insurance sector.
Over the last ten years, Dr Nyangao has been in the private insurance market where he has been involved in health insurance product design, administration and evaluation. He also provides technical assistance to programs delivering innovative low-cost health insurance targeting the informal sector, deploying technology in a commercial setting to reduce healthcare costs, and using existing table banking social groups to encourage saving for healthcare. Dr Nyangao holds an MBChB from the University of Nairobi Kenya, a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Systems Management and post graduate diploma in Global Sustained Social Entrepreneurship (GSSE).
Dr. Walter Obita
is a part-time consultant and Chief Operating Officer at Health Store East Africa. He also serves as the Executive Director at Medicatia Hospital and Board Director of the Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF) where he is KHF’s Healthcare Financing Committee and PPP Committee Board Director. He has over 12 years’ experience in the health sector working for the Kenyan government, non-profit organizations and commercial private sector institutions. He has founded and managed healthcare institutions, provided technical expertise on health systems strengthening, public-private engagement and partnerships, healthcare financing, healthcare management and franchising at national and international forums, conferences, technical working groups and advisory boards.
Dr. Obita holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from University of Nairobi and is an MBA candidate in Strategic Management from Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He trained on Healthcare Management and Leadership at Massachusetts General Hospital, Leadership and Management in Health at University of Washington and both Management in Health and Basics in Health Economics from the World Bank Educational Institute for Development.