Best for the select

Health

Fiji’s first private hospital promises the best in medical services

By Bernadette Hussein

A modem and new state-of-the-art medical and surgical private hos pital is scheduled to open in Suva, Fiji, in October, making it the first of its kind in any South Pacific Island country.

The hospital, which will be run by Pacific Hospitals Limited, is expected to provide up-to-date medical facilities with the help of overseas specialists.

Company chairman Daryl Tarte is con fident the concept will be a success in Fiji, where there is a demand for better medi cal care and facilities.

But unlike other medical centres in the country, the private hospital will not have medical staff on the payroll.

“The hospital will function in a differ ent way. It will be open to medical practi tioners to come in and use the facilities and treat their patients in that environ ment,” said Tarte.

“The medical practitioners will be required to apply for clinical privileges to

use the hospital. The appointed doctors will then form the visiting medical staff.

They will then elect a Medical Advisory Committee which will be responsible for recommendations to the board of directors on review of clinical privileges, medical education, medical discipline, introduc tion of new medical services and purchase of new equipment.

“Instead of going overseas... (doctors) will he able to practise in a private hospital (in Fiji) ”

“Patients will be admitted to the hospi tal by their own doctors who will contin ue to treat the patient together with their chosen specialist. We are going to get spe cialists from Australian hospitals to visit Fiji and consult as required, assist local doctors and provide on-the-site training in the latest medical and surgical tech niques.” Tarte added that where surgery was required, he and other board mem bers had been assured by Health Minister Leo Smith that surgeons from the hospital

would be able to help. Smith said he had made requests to Fiji’s Public Service Commission to allow this. Presently, doc tors from public hospitals are not permit ted to practise outside.

“We are asking the PSC to allow this as it would mean extra remuneration for these doctors and also give them the expe rience of working with overseas special ists and consultants.

“This is good for the doctors in the respect that instead of going overseas in search of greener pastures they will be able to practise in a private hospital where they will be given a chance also to use the latest technology.”

However, one of the concerns this has raised is the move might see a large migration of doctors from public hospital to private practice, where the facilities and indeed the money is promised to be far more attractive. But with what is seen as an exodus of qualified medical personnel from Fiji, Smith believes the private hos pital may be just what the country needs.

“If doctors leave the public hospitals to work for private hospitals, government will indeed lose out on some good doc tors, but at least these people will remain in Fiji and serve the people here instead of elsewhere. Therefore, the government will just have to continue training more doctors.”

Smith said the government was fully supportive of the venture as it would reduce pressure on public hospitals, pro vide an alternative for local doctors to practise medicine with the likely result of

retaining more specialist doctors in Fiji,

extend a range of medical services avail able to the people of Fiji complementing the services currently being provided at public hospitals and, through close ties with overseas hospitals, ensure that spe cialists from overseas visit Fiji on a regu lar basis.

“It is being run by a group of peo ple and the price they demand is what people will have to pay ”

As for affordability, the hospital is banking on health insurance policy hold ers to use the private hospital. According to a survey carried out for Pacific Hospitals Limited, 100,000 people in Fiji (with a total population of approximately 750,000) are covered by health insurance.

But what about those without the means to pay for this service for the elite?

“What we must remember is that this hospital is a private venture in that the taxpayer is not paying for the running and

facilitating of the hospital.

“It is being run by a group of people and the price they demand is what people will have to pay,” Tarte said.

“It is like the overseas private hospitals or medical centres where people from Fiji go for treatment. They will have to pay more. People who are willing to pay have a choice.” Tarte added that it was not only Fiji residents but other Pacific Island resi dents from neighbouring island countries who could opt to use the private hospital for specific treatment which, so far, has been available to them mainly in Australia and New Zealand.

And with more specialists and exper tise visiting Fiji, there would be a signifi cant reduction in costs of sending patients overseas for treatment. Smith added.

“They can be treated at the private hos pital by their doctors with the help of con sultants at half the price.

“Fiji is ready for such a hospital and there is great potential for it to be suc cessful with this type of management and expertise,” he said. The Pacific Hospital’s mission is to be the leading private-sector provider of superior, personalised health care services in Fiji, Tarte said.

He said the hospital would also look at ensuring the flexibility of services to meet changing customer needs, open communi

cation between patients, doctors, staff and health insurers, providing superior physi cal hospital facilities by matching the lat est development in medical technology with suitable investment in capital equip ment and services, and providing employ ee training and development with an emphasis on patient care, customer ser vice and clinical skill.

“To achieve this we will market the facility to medical practitioners, private health insurers, tourists and residents both locally and in neighbouring Pacific Islands,” Tarte said.

“It is intended that both inpatient and outpatient services will be provided through referral for medical treatment, surgery, rehabilitation and obstetrics.”

The surgical procedures contemplated will include orthopaedic, plastic and reconstructive, gastroenterological, uro logical, gynaecological, ear, nose and throat and general surgery. Tarte added that future plans for the hospital included expanding to the western part of Fiji - Nadi - and in the not-too-distant future, have its own ambulance.

“While the hospital will have its own board of directors, its management will be in the hands of Impact Health, an organi sation which manages or owns some 14 similar private hospitals in Australia,”

Tarte said.

“Also, Pacific Hospitals will enter the New Zealand Accreditation programme, which will ensure the maintenance of the

Artist’s impression of the interior of the private hospital