PSH Hospitals: We’re ready to help!

PSH Hospitals founder and CEO Parvish Kumar is ready to assist the government in improving the overall healthcare in the country.

By PSH MEDIA

Fiji’s largest private hospital is ready to be part of the “think tank” to help fix the country’s ailing healthcare system.

Responding to the recent media comments made by retired Professor of Surgery and Medical Superintendent Dr Eddie McCaig, Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH Hospitals) founder and chief executive officer Parvish Kumar says he is ready with his management team to share the expertise and success stories of PSH Hospitals to improve the overall healthcare system in Fiji.

“We have submitted an expression of interest (EOI) to the Honourable Minister for Health and Medical Services for managing and improving Nadi and Labasa hospitals and also explained the same to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PACP) which recently toured PSH Hospitals in Nadi on how we have been developing capabilities on our own and accelerating healthcare development through home-made solutions,” Mr Kumar said.

“Our achievements which are public knowledge and also acknowledged in Parliament recently by the line minister and the opposition as well shows we are capable of developing healthcare in Fiji and the region and taking it to unprecedented levels,” Mr Kumar added.

He said the management of PSH Hospitals is open for discussions because the hospital strongly believes in genuinely assisting people by providing world-class healthcare services that are affordable and accessible to the masses.

During the recent visit by PACP which was headed by the Assistant Minister for Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics Esrom Immanuel and his members, PSH Hospitals which has been recently making headlines for achieving unprecedented milestone achievements in the health sector has also expressed its intentions to establish a modern and state-of-the-art catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab) in the Labasa Hospital so that angiograms and angioplasty (stenting) could be offered to the people of the Northern Division without any hassles of travelling to Viti Levu or going overseas.

“While the purpose of the visit by the PACP was to observe how private hospitals operate and make recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services on how to better serve the public, it also gave us a platform to speak openly about what we can do to assist the ministry and the government improve the overall health system and we commend Dr Eddie McCaig for having a similar vision by engaging people who are experts and have proven success records in the sector,” Mr Kumar further stated.

“We have developed a fully home-grown solution for our cardiology department instead of outsourcing to visiting specialists. This is something not found at any other medical facility in Fiji and we would like to do the same in Labasa and we are ready to share our success stories by managing Nadi and Labasa hospitals as well if our EOI is given some serious consideration.

“Give us the same funding which you are currently spending at Labasa and Nadi hospitals and we will run it more efficiently and use all the surplus funds to carry out complex open-heart surgeries for patients who need the medical attention but are unable to afford private healthcare.”

“While improving the overall health services in the Northern and Western divisions, our presence will also boost tourism activities with high levels of investor and visitor confidence as a spin-off.

“More investors will want to set-up businesses such as resorts and hotels, holiday and retirement homes and even host international events such as sporting activities and musical concerts because they will have a peace of mind knowing the availability of world-class health services right next to them.”

Meanwhile, Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj echoed similar sentiments during his end of the week speech in parliament on Friday November 14.

“If we truly believe in improving the public healthcare system in Fiji, PSH Hospitals should be entrusted with managing the Nadi and Labasa hospitals as they have proven that local innovation can outperform the outsourcing model,” Maharaj said.

He said what PSH Hospitals needs now is government support through tax incentives, access to Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework and an opportunity to manage public facilities such as the Nadi and Labasa hospitals.

“Let’s not overlook what’s happening right here in our backyard. PSH Hospitals is a Fijian success story from grassroots level to healthcare innovation. It is a hospital built on efficiency, compassion and cultural inclusion.

“If we truly want to uplift healthcare in this country, let us support what is already working for our people.”

Mr Maharaj said the government needs to recognise and applaud the unprecedented achievements of PSH Hospitals, a hundred percent locally owned healthcare provider that has without any state assistance successfully established both a fully functional Cath Lab and independently conducted open-heart procedures ranging up to quadruple graft bypass surgeries.

“Their world-class facilities are extended across two major hospitals, one each in Suva and Nadi with 130-beds and a range of services covering neurosurgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, general surgery, urology, gynaecology and open-heart surgeries.”

Minister for Health and Medical Services Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu said the government is fully aware of the medical breakthrough and milestones achieved by PSH Hospitals in recent times and has given his full blessings to the management and staff to continue their good work.

He said the government needs to review its current PPP arrangements with existing health service providers and move forward carefully with new partnerships and collaborations with private operators.