Supporting the formation and functioning of innovation platforms in healthcare value chains

Rising patient demands, a growing population, and resource limitations constrain the South African healthcare system. The integration of disparate interventions that are developed and implemented across various actors in healthcare value chains (VCs) remains a significant challenge. This calls for a multi-disciplinary approach to integrate the knowledge of communities, non-governmental organisations, private sector actors, frontline healthcare workers, and researchers in the development of sustainable, value-adding interventions. Multi-stakeholder engagement, in this article referred to as innovation platforms (IPs), is a mechanism through which interdependent VC actors could be organised and coordinated to develop sustainable innovations to strengthen the healthcare system. This article addresses the lack of guidance on how to develop and operate healthcare IPs in South Africa by presenting a framework for IP formation and functioning in healthcare VCs. A grounded theory approach, namely conceptual framework analysis, informed framework development within an exploratory qualitative study. The outcome of the study is an innovation management tool for improved policy development in a developing country context. It provides practical guidance to policy makers on how to: (1) Setup and develop an IP; (2) Implement interventions to improve IP functioning; and (3) Develop mechanisms to address commonly experienced challenges.