By Neo Kolane
The ministry of health and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this week which aims to relieve the Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) and provide cancer and kidney services.
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multi-national healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. Apart from the eponymous hospital chain, the company also operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres and telehealth clinics through its subsidiaries.
The MoU is meant to provide the services that will be done in Lesotho.
There will be capacity building of local staff, services that will be provided at QMMH which will be highly specialised equally with speciality services and training to be offered by the India Apollo.
There is expansion of services that will be provided.
Previously, it was more of cancer and kidney transplant and other related diseases, but now there will be a range of services provided such as cardiology.
The minister of health Semano Sekatle explained that the cordial relations between India and Lesotho, the formal agreements have been made between the government of Lesotho and India especially the joint bilateral commission of cooperation which was signed in 2004.
Sekatle said the various ministerial and sectorial agreements that have been signed between ministries of Lesotho and India with this one initially penned down in 2016.
“I am delighted that we have gone this far. Seventy cancer patients, two of those passed on. Eight kidney patients went through kidney transplant in India. But unfortunately one of them passed away while he was in Lesotho.
“Working health professionals have been trained for hospital management, oncology and renal dialysis.
“The only doctor who is treating kidney patients in Leribe was trained at Apollo Hospital. We found it very cheap to treat patients in India and many other centres that we use in Lesotho is almost half the price of what we pay here.
“There have been a number of problems such as logistics for transportation operations from Lesotho to India, accommodation, increased day to day expenses for patients while in India, administration as well as shortcomings in payments for services endangered the agreement,” he thought.
Sekatle added: “We have closely monitored the performance of the agreement and we have decided to review it so that from now on patients can be treated here in Lesotho.”
Representing Apollo Hospitals, Dr Harinder Singh Sidhu said Apollo was blessed with an opportunity to save lives of Basotho pateints especially those suffering from cancer and kidney failure.
He said this is the second MoU which also provides for planning of the hospitals.
“We are bringing the clinical expertise, a specialist and we will share our expertise in hospital management in bringing our best practices here.
“The objective of the MoU will be met,” he said.
According of the ministry of health, Lesotho has spent billions of maloti towards cancer treatments for patients in foreign hospitals but the rate at which people are dying is increasing.
“The government through the ministry of health reached an agreement with India to address cancer challenges in Lesotho and save lives. Cancer patients who are critical will be taken to India Apollo Hospitals for cancer treatment and Indian cancer experts will come to Lesotho every quarter starting from April 2018 to attend to patients and prescribe treatment.
Lesotho and India sealed a deal in 2016 which was negotiated in 2014 because of the good reputation Indian hospitals have as far as cancer treatment is concerned.
It is estimated that in South Africa one patient pays between M500 000 to M600 000 and the Indian doctors have started visiting Lesotho to examine and treat cancer patients.
Another issue disclosed by QMMH was that South Africa government hospitals serve Bloemfontein and the whole of Eastern Cape for cancer treatment that is why they delay in attending our patients. But with the engagements of the Apollo Hospitals, critical patients will be taken to India for further treatment which costs between M70 000 and M100 000. This is about five times less than what we used to spend in South Africa.
The money is inclusive of flight tickets, accommodation and meals for the patient, a relative who will accompany the patient and a local nurse.
