Fortis Clinique Darné, engaging with Africa and beyond

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2 Fortis Clinique Darné, engaging with Africa and beyond Fortis Clinique Darné, engaging with Africa and beyond By Vishal Bheeroo December 6, 2016 Views 117 Ms. Unnati Negi is Chief Operating Officer of Fortis Clinique Darné in Mauritius since 2014 In today s world, healthcare encompasses not only treatment or medical facilities but also wellness and lifestyle. Fortis Healthcare is a leading brand in India that joined forces with Clinique Darné with a view to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovative medical facilities and make health an important economic pillar. Today, Platform Africa speaks to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Fortis Clinique Darné Unnati Negi on the huge opportunity for healthcare in Africa, local challenges and future projects. The year was Fortis Healthcare Limited, a leading chain of super specialty hospitals, joined forces with Clinique Darné, which is one of the best known private hospitals in Mauritius, and this was born Fortis Clinique Darné (FCD). The COO says: Today, FCD has a capacity of 110 beds, 4 operation theatres, ICU comprising of 12 beds and services for 25 specialties. Our aim is to make FCD an institution that offers tertiary care to local patients which reduces the need to travel abroad for treatment. We also aim to make the clinic a reference in the Indian Ocean by attracting patients to avail of our services on account of the increasing need for medical tourism. The leading super specialty hospital in India, Fortis Healthcare, has extended its services to countries such as Dubai, Sri Lanka and Mauritius with 54 healthcare facilities coupled with around 10,000 beds and 314 diagnostic centres. Negi refers to the global study about world technologically advanced hospitals by topmasterinhealthcare.com supporting her argument where the flagship Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) was ranked second, way ahead of several outstanding medical institutions. She adds that Fortis Health Care is internationally recognized by well respected institutions such as JCI (Joint Commission International, USA) and NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, India) for its quality of healthcare services offered.

3 Unnati Negi boasts of a huge experience for having served in reputed institutions such as the National Health Services in UK, FMRI and Kalyani Hospital as well as Medanta Max City which she helped start in India. The COO says that there are key differences in healthcare services on the island and the rest of globally advanced countries. She observes: There is a need to work towards the country having its own paramedics, strengthen the education system around healthcare to produce more professionals in this domain. She believes that there is a huge need for services like teleradiology, data made available on chips as well as the fact that digitized healthcare should be all over the island like in well-developed countries. Healthcare services abroad are customized to the needs of the population through unique health identifier which is a personalized service. One should know well in advance about the patient who is coming for dialysis, for instance, and the kind of food intake for such regular patients, Negi says. A great deal of work is needed, she says, where medical facilities should be readily available and facilities such as the much needed stroke clinics sprout in every nook-and-corner in the country accompanied with strict criteria to manage them. Ms. Negi adds that the world has moved to transplant and organ harvest and it is important to keep up pace with such developments. This is where the law comes to the fore for the engineering of such growth in healthcare and lifestyle. It s been two years now since Unnati Negi took over as COO of Fortis Clinique Darné in Mauritius and speaking on her achievement, she says, the annual report which has been published speaks for itself. The coordination on each floor ensures that we look at the non-medical needs such as asking visitors and patients the state of their well-being as well as the fact that non-medical staff take care of aspects such as food, cleaning, insurance and billings. Our staff goes out of its way to touch the patient s life which is an important aspect of our culture. We believe in transparency. The hospital endorses the idea of positive distraction where patients are encouraged to play board games such as Ludo. The person taking care of patients goes through lots of stress and we believe in taking good care which holds everyone in good stead, she emphasizes. There is so much familiarity given the fact that the hospital has been around for more than 60 years where the staff goes out of its way to welcome visitors. The COO points out that the hospital believes in the culture of patients safety and care with the idea of People know People. We are not here to shake the system but we are a reliable brand that lives up to its name, Negi indicates. The COO believes more than medical tourism, it is the best possible care offered to the local population that matters the most. She says, I don t believe in medical tourism. Once we have catered for the population by covering specialty, available bed strength, doctors and paramedics, we can speak about medical tourism. It holds true at least for FCD. The hospital s doors are open to everyone and not just a particular niche who can afford the services, says the COO. It s about competitive pricing and refers to the annual report results that declared a profit of 10 per cent on total top line. Being a listed company, our results are published for public viewing and we do not make huge receipt or overcharge, for that matter. In fact, we are cheaper than many of our local competitors. We invest a lot in facilities, technology and training as we believe in value for money. The volume works in our favor where benefits are passed to the patients, adds Negi. The COO says that the hospital is governed by the law and charge is done as per the scale of cost. There is no question of targeting a particular segment. At FCD, there is minimum additional investment made and we monitor each and every quality of our outcomes, she points out.

4 In a recent World Bank report, mention is made of 16 billion USD healthcare needed in the African region and in this context, CIEL Healthcare, in partnership with Fortis Healthcare, took the opportunity in hand to make major acquisitions in the Western and Eastern parts of the continent. Negi says, the focus is on the East African region that covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda as well as countries such as Madagascar and Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. CIEL Healthcare acquired control of up to 90 per cent of the Ugandan s International Medical Group in Uganda during June 2015 and recently turned to Nigeria. CIEL Healthcare is nurturing huge ambition to be part of the high growth in health on the African continent and testimony to the fact that it already owns 3 hospitals, 16 clinics, a laboratory and 2 medical insurance companies. Negi adds, CIEL Healthcare has the technical support of Fortis Healthcare where it aims to outsmart in the medical field in the African region. It is a fact that Africa has various health challenges and Nigerians spend billions of dollars on medical health yearly due to the lack of proper healthcare and infrastructure. The COO agrees that there is a shortage in healthcare but points at an increase in investment that flows from private equity to the health sector. Nevertheless, she remarks, despite huge investment, there is a dearth of management specialists and this is how we come into the picture as hospital managers bringing in expertise to run hospitals coupled with our investment. We live in a time of economic uncertainty. It is true that there are huge opportunities for healthcare but at the same time there are various challenges that may pose as risky business proposals looking at the investment being made by the group. The COO says that Fortis and CIEL Healthcare believe in bringing high value by managing with minimum wastage and improved efficiency. Negi announces that there are expansion plans in order to meet the increasing demand of the population seeking the services of private healthcare which can be facilitated through insurance schemes. This, she says, will help reduce the waiting list in public hospitals. The hospital has huge plans to be a game changer in healthcare with the setting up of a fullfledged oncology unit to treat cancer in areas such as early diagnosis and therapy. The COO says that this strategy falls in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation to curb the alarming trend of cancer referring to Health Statistics Unit Report 2015 where 13.3 per cent death was attributed to neoplasm cancer. With the ageing of the population, the number of people needing medical care will also increase which will steer the overall growth of the cancer access market in Mauritius. FCD has become a destination for medical tourism in key areas such as general surgery, Oncology, Cardiology and Orthopaedics. There are several factors that drive people from abroad which include the modernisation of our facility and improved air access connectivity, Ms. Negi explains. One of the major challenges the FCD COO believes on the island is the lack of qualified nurses and paramedical staffs. It s an area where expatriates can be called upon to provide their expertise on the local shores and can be facilitated through flexible work permits and renewal of same. There is huge interest to invest in Africa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the construction of Oncology facilities in Africa where the Pan Africa e-network project by India and African Union will play a huge part.

5 Negi says that the basic objective of the project is to steer capacity building in Africa by imparting quality education where the best Indian universities and practitioners will be a major partner through the provision of tele-medical services. It will be done through online medical consultations to the medical practitioners in patient end locations from Indian medicinal specialists in disciplines such as cardiology, neurology, urology and ophthalmology. Ms. Negi says that tele-education service will be provided by Indian Universities to the participating countries and African students who will be selected by the African Union. Tele-medicine services will be provided by the Indian Super Specialty Hospitals and the project also covers Continuing Medical Education to practising doctors and paramedics to enhance knowledge and skills. The key benefits of Tele-Medicine involve the use of ICT to support healthcare with a view to bridge the distance between the doctor and patient. It has the merit of offering affordable healthcare to the rural population, Negi explains. She also says that Fortis Clinique Darné is all about patients engagement at the foremost where care facilities is to reach out to as many as possible. It s all about a chain of super specialty which strives to meet expectations of the people, she adds. Unnati Negi, who landed on the island two years back and brought with her over 20 years of experience in healthcare, finds the island as brimming with lots of energy, nurturing ambitions and a great place to live.