Unnati Negi:“Mauritius to be world class in a decade”

With experience in health care previously in British regulatory bodies like the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council as well as country head for the National Health Service in London along with past experience in India, Unnati Negi, COO of Fortis Clinique Darné, points out what is being done between the private and public sectors to upgrade health care in the country. She believes the country can reach world-class standards in ten years’ time.

BUSINESSMAG. The country has seen rapid progress in the availability of sophisticated medical equipment and high standards of services in its private health care system during the last decade. Can Mauritius match foreign standards in private health care?

I don’t think that Mauritius can do without going abroad at all, because there are still things that are missing here. However, there are a lot of things that we can handle here in our clinic. We are in discussions with the government so that we don’t duplicate efforts in a single area and also in areas in which we feel there is scope for collaboration. We are looking at the missing specialities jointly and see who can cover what and where. Our goal is to raise the overall standard of health care in Mauritius. We are also in discussions with a number of other institutions as well so as to look at the areas where people are still going abroad for care. At Darné, we want to make these services available.

Regarding cancer treatment, for example, people are still going abroad. We do not have world class facilities here, but we are working towards it. Simple things like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan should be available locally.

BUSINESSMAG. Have you felt an increasing demand from locals for your services or has the increase in demand been from expats and foreigners?

There is clearly an increasing demand from locals. The trend lines in our annual report show this increase. The GDP is also going up and Mauritians can afford better health care. They are able to invest more. At Darné, we are ready to cater for this.

As for the market regarding expats and foreigners, we are able to match world class standards and give them the level of care they are used to in their own country. We have actually expats who tell us that we do match their country’s standards in medical care. The best doctors from countries like India, for example, are flying in for elective surgery planning on treatment. We also have a Relationship Manager dedicated to them. Unless it a very complex disease, we can provide the basic and medium level health care or even cardiac. It is only when it comes to neurological issues or cancer treatment that they will prefer to travel back to their home countries.

BUSINESSMAG. When it comes to public health care, there has been heavy investment in sophistication of technology and infrastructure too. Is public health care a threat to the private sector?

We are mainly looking at areas of collaboration where, let us say, when a surgeon is flying in and there are patients on the government side who are waiting. In that case, we could collaborate to provide the treatment earlier. We actually see the public sector health and government as partners and, if they upgrade their standards, it can only contribute to better health care on the island. If someone wants to move out of a public hospital at a certain level of treatment and experience private health care to have better diagnosis, the process can only help us in treating the disease. We have invested on our side in the techno-logy to give better diagnosis.

As far as profits are concerned, we are maintaining an upward trend line in terms of growth. The idea for both sides is more on investing in our own spaces so as to improve the general standard. We would have had to bother if on our side, we were not upgrading the same way, if we were stagnant and not having the capacity to invest with our cash stacked up. But we are both upgrading and this only improves the level of diagnosis. I also have to mention about the collaboration that doctors are allowed to practice in government and private. And if the public sector does not invest to have the right standards, how would their doctors be able to come and work with us?

BUSINESSMAG. You worked at the British National Health Service as a country head and for the General Medical Council, a regulatory body in United Kingdom. From your experience, can you tell us if Mauritius meets the standards?

This country has come a long way and it is still to go a long way. But we have made very good progress, and I think if we keep going at this rate, in next decade or so, we will be world class. An advantage that we have is our geographical position. We can cater for the African continent and if we upgrade our facilities, we will be extending them to the people in the region. We are not saying that these facilities will be limited to the people of Mauritius. We are also working in synergy with other islands to see if the required facilities and manpower are available.

BUSINESSMAG. The market of private health care is technology driven. What are the key investments that Darné has made that has contributed in upgrading of standards of care?

The Catherization Laboratory (CATH Lab) is a big investment. This meant a considerable improvement in the quality of the service we provide. When it comes to surgery, we are planning vascular surgery and a dedicated wound care centre as well. We have also invested in Intravenous Therapy (IV) that allows one to see the position of a stent. Our investments have gone to our people too, to provide them with training. Our investment has not just gone in technology but in people as well.