Page 28 - IB FEB 2017

Health
India deal for Fiji hospital

Khaiyum said the partnership was a mile-
stone for Fiji and a great initiative taken
by BSP LIFE and MIOT, which he said was
further made possible by government’s
attractive tax incentives.
He said that there were still many Fiji-
ans who were being deprived from those
services, mainly because they couldn’t
By Priya Chand afford it and many of those were not living
in major city centers, in which case, more
FIJIANS could expect an upgrade to their needed to be done in the medical services
medical health services, in light of the new to reach them all.
private hospital partnership between the Kaiyum elaborated on the need for col-
MIOT International arm, one of India’s top laboration between the private and public
hospitals and the BSP Life. hospital.
Under this new partnership, the Suva “We hope that the Oceania Hospitals Ltd
Private Hospital is now under a new New partnership ... MIOT Pacific Hospitals. does not simply look at volumes through
Photo: Priya Chand
management, with a new entity - Ocea- their own hospital but how they can col-
nia Hospitals Proprietor Limited through laborate with the public health sector.”
MIOT (Madras Institute of Orthopedics ...we have to work Kaiyum added that Fiji could create
and Traumatology) owning 30 per cent in ‘out cost effectiveness economies of scale if it became a center of
the partnership, with BSP Life, who will medical excellence, by getting Australians
continue to own 70 per cent. and try and to make it and New Zealanders to come to Fiji for
The hype is generally around access affordable ... treatment.
to upgraded and specialised services ‘ “The only way we can do that is to be
and equipment, and specialised doctors - MIOT Pacific managing director able to provide a good career path for doc-
in the medical field, that may have been Dr Ganesh Prasad tors and provide that level of specialisa-
lacking in Fiji. tion which includes exposure to medical
According to MIOT Pacific’s new medi- system of a country can’t cater solely training and various experience with the
cal director, Dr Ganesh Prasad (originally for the governmental side because they right equipment,”
from India), said cardiac and gastrointes- have other priorities, like infrastructure In terms of billing costs, Dr Prasad said
tinal could be the key focus areas. development, poor social security, educa- the initial vision of the stakeholders of
A pilot study is being run in order to tion etc., so it would be difficult to cater the hospital was to bring down costs, so
determine the sort of patients that get fully into the health care system for any that the common man could benefit and
drained into the hospital, and what sort country.” afford the services.
of services they are after. Dr Prasad said Raju approached MIOT, “We have not made any immediate sys-
“The lackness of those areas we would who “probably looking for the same op- tem in the costing system on the present
really like to try to fill in,” he said. portunities, and that’s how we came into costing that is going on at this hospital,“
“May be cardiac, may be gastrointesti- the picture.” he said.
nal, may be lung related, intestine, kidney “Avi Raju was the person, from him the “We will have to make a study, and
related – are some areas we’ll probably initiative started.” when we bring in new specialists, mis-
be looking at – depending on what is In an announcement earlier this month, sionaries, we have to work out cost ef-
lacking.” BSP Life managing director Malakai fectiveness and try to make it affordable.”
The investment by MIOT is valued at Naiyaga said MIOT would change the In terms of regional health, Dr Prasad
F$7million, with an additional F$14m landscape of the healthcare industry for said he was aware of the general state of
expansion for new premises being car- the benefit of all Fijians through the devel- health of the people, and non-communi-
ried out beside the Amy Street Pharmacy. opment of the infrastructure of the Suva cable diseases, as ion India, seemed to be
On how the partnership came about, Dr Private Hospital to a modern hospital. the msain culprit.
Prasad said the step was taken by Avinesh “The new MIOT Pacific Hospitals will, “We have done some homework and
Raju, currently the Oceania Hospitals’ di- over the next few months, bring about from what we know, most countries have
rector, who happened to be a close friend more specific specialist skills to comple- what we are facing in our countries like
with the MIOT group. ment and improve our health care indus- NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension,
“Partnership happened because of an try,” Naiyaga said. obesity-related problems,” he said.
initiative taken by a Fijian, as he was “The Fijian Government has continued Dr Prasad said there were no such
looking into the health sector and wanted to encourage investment in the healthcare plans to expand into the Pacific, stressing
to do something for his countrymen,” sector and we are pleased that we could that the priority was to serve the Fijian
said Prasad. take the lead in this initiative.” population.
“And as you know, any health care Fiji Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed- n priyameyou@gmail.com

28 Islands Business, February 2017