Some time ago, the 14th Emir of Kano’s child (I hear a certain word is now forbidden), was admitted in a tertiary hospital. While visiting his child, he lamented the poor infrastructure, the fading paint, cheap tiles and stained bathroom fixtures. He wondered how such a mighty teaching hospital could lack a room befitting the child of a king.
Quite simply, our amenity wards or VIP rooms were not up to his standard. And while many might dismiss this as a capitalist or a materialistic mindset; I saw an opportunity for the hospital to generate revenue.
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Welcome to medical entrepreneurship. These days, the word ‘entrepreneurship’ has been tossed around so many times, it has become synonymous with ‘hustling’ and immediately conjures up images of people selling random stuff online trying desperately to make you buy. However, in as much as entrepreneurship is about making money, the fundamental ideology is about identifying a gap and providing a solution. And there are many gaps in the Nigerian healthcare system.
Imagine if the hospital built a luxury suite for the upper class to use during hospital admissions and charged an outrageous amount for it, would it be used? The answer is capital YES! The Dantatas’ and Dangotes’ would absolutely patronize the hospital purely for these amenities. A tertiary hospital with all the best brains and a suite befitting their status; they would rush it. In the absence of this, the specialists are sometimes forced to admit the royalty and super rich in their luxury homes which is grossly un-professional.
A patient once told me that she patronizes an exclusive hospital in Abuja for her deliveries simply because of the rooms and nursing services. The luxury suite comes with two rooms with an interconnecting door and a sitting room for visitors. One room is for the pregnant woman and the other room is for her caregiver. At any time during labour- two nurses are assigned to the patient, one to rub her back and feet, while the other is to monitor vital signs and communicate her progress to the obstetrician. Delivery in the hospital costs between two to five million Naira based on the nature-vaginal or via Caesarean delivery. Sounds crazy, right? Yet, people patronize this hospital and at any given time, there is almost always a pregnant woman on admission. Not everyone wants to deliver outside the country. The Dr who owns the hospital simply identified an important gap and found a solution which also makes him money.
Another gap in our healthcare system is in the management of Cancer. Callous as this may sound, there is a wide void in the treatment of cancer that is just begging to be filled. Cancer treatment is primarily made up of three essentials depending on the stage and type of tumour: Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. For the purpose of this topic, I will focus on Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy for now.
Presently, there are only 3 Radiotherapy centres in the country: Abuja, Enugu and Lagos. For a disease that claims the life of almost 72,000 people yearly, these machines are simply not enough. There used to be machines in Gombe and Zaria, but last I heard the machines had broken down and are in need of repair. A visit to the radiotherapy unit is one that will leave you in tears. The list of people in need is long, but the machines are not enough. Bear in mind that these are the ones that can afford the radiotherapy. So even when you have the money, access to radiotherapy is a Herculean task in Nigeria. Therefore, people who can, are forced to travel to Cairo, South Africa and India just for Radiotherapy to shrink their tumour.
Have we thought about how lucrative it would be to build an Oncology centre? Assuming a billionaire decides to buy a radiotherapy machine and employ professionals to administer it, don’t we think that the burden on government hospitals would drastically reduce? There are a lot of middle-class Nigerians who can afford the private facilities and only patronise government hospitals because of the monopoly they have on the machines. However, the idea is not as simplistic as it sounds. Investing in the healthcare industry is capital intensive. Apart from procuring the machines, there are other challenges like consumables, electricity supply and personnel. Realizing profit from this venture would require a flexible business plan and a Herculean amount of patience. But it can be done. This is where partnership and grants come into play. Once patients know that they can stroll in or book an early appointment for their radiotherapy sessions- I can guarantee that the business will prosper.
Likewise, chemotherapy lounges. Outpatients with cancer have to come to the wards or procedure rooms to be administered their IV drugs. The process is frustrating and at times lowers their spirits. Having a lounge with comfortable chairs and drip stands where people can sit and receive their medication while gisting, watching TV or even praying would make their life more manageable and would help foster bonding between patients. Several studies have shown that positive communication during cancer treatments leads to better outcomes. These units if created, would require the patients to pay an amount whenever they are to be used. The hospital would therefore have created an additional source of income with just a little capital. Win-win!
Another gold mine is Dialysis. If only the Otedolas know how much they could make building a dialysis clinic where out-patients can come in two-three times a week at their convenience and pay double or triple of what they would in a government hospital- they would have built over 50 centres by now. At present, there are less than 10 private dialysis centres in Nigeria with most of them concentrated in Lagos, Ibadan and Abuja. These are simply not enough- End Stage renal disease is a chronic illness where people can live on dialysis for up to twenty years before dying or getting a transplant. And the incidence of this condition is on the rise. Therefore, having a clinic where they can easily access their dialysis twice a week, without long queues and without having to quit their jobs and relocate to some foreign land, is a solution they would embrace in a heartbeat.
And if all these ideas seem staggering, then there is a simpler business of setting up a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). They are companies mandated solely to manage the provision of health care services through Health Care Facilities (Hospitals, Opticians, Dentists, etc.) Accredited by the Scheme. Basically, they are an intermediary between the hospital and companies seeking to provide healthcare for their employees and families of their employees. A HMO has a list of Healthcare Facilities that provide healthcare services to its clients (companies). The HMO then markets its services to companies seeking to provide healthcare for its employees. Once an agreement is reached, the company pays the HMO premium. The premium paid will fetch the company a coverage for provision of healthcare service subject to conditions within a stipulated period (usually one year).
Like I said, investing in healthcare is capital intensive, but the returns could very well be gold.
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