In December 2024, Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET) achieved an exciting milestone by becoming a registered charity in Scotland under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. This significant development enhances the organisation’s ability to foster new collaborations and expand its work within Scotland.
Global Health Partnerships (GHP), formerly known as THET, is a UK-based charity dedicated to improving health globally. From reducing maternal deaths in Uganda to improving the quality of hospital care for injured children in Myanmar, it supports and forms mutually beneficial partnerships between health institutions in the UK, Africa, Asia and the Middle East to respond to locally identified priorities to strengthen health systems and the health workforce.
Through these partnerships, skilled UK health professionals volunteer to train and exchange knowledge with their counterparts abroad, ensuring a flow of mutual learning and development. This approach not only strengthens health systems in low- and middle-income countries but also enriches the NHS, as returning volunteers bring back enhanced skills, leadership capabilities, and fresh perspectives on delivering healthcare in resource-limited settings.
Scotland has long been a vital partner for GHP. The charity has been actively collaborating with the Scottish NHS and academic partners to advance impactful initiatives. Some of these partnerships include the NHS Highland’s collaboration with Chipata Central Hospital in Zambia on antimicrobial stewardship programmes and NHS Fife’s work with Muhimbili University in Tanzania to bolster pharmacist leadership in combating antimicrobial resistance. Previous projects have also addressed a diverse range of global health challenges, from paediatric burn care in Malawi to surgical capacity-building in Myanmar.
This milestone also builds upon GHP’s contributions to the landmark 2017 report on Global Citizenship in the Scottish Health Service and its active engagement with the Scottish International Development Alliance (SIDA).
Saf Rahbour, Chief Operating Officer at Global Health Partnerships, shared her enthusiasm for this new chapter:
“I am delighted to see Global Health Partnerships is now a registered charity in Scotland. This provides a springboard for further expansion within the UK, alongside in Wales with Global Health Partnerships Cymru. Over the years, our engagement with the Scottish Government, known for its distinctive work in Global Citizenship, and our partnerships with key stakeholders in Edinburgh and across Scotland have laid a strong foundation for future progress.”
“One area in particular that I am passionate about is to progress our contributions towards the themes of Experts in Our Midst, and it’s strategy for valuing the expertise internationally recruited staff bring to the NHS, drawing on their knowledge of health systems in countries of heritage, and for this to be placed at the “top-table”. This programme is a contribution to retention and development strategies which are at the heart of the Scottish Government Centre for Workforce Supply remit, a shared goal by us all”.
Global Health Partnerships looks forward to expanding its reach, building upon the strong connections already established in Scotland, and continuing to drive meaningful change in global health.