Health - GRZ, Indian Company Sign Deal

LUSAKA - GOVERNMENT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India’s biggest diagnostic centre, Bharat Scans Private Limited that will see the establishment of a multi-million Kwacha institution in Zambia later this year.

Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Felix Mutati, said Government will facilitate the creation of a diagnostic centre with an initial capital of US$3 million, including provision of necessary medical experts because it is eager to make Zambia a hub of quality health care in southern Africa.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at Government House in Lusaka yesterday, Mr. Mutati said the diagnostic centre will be established this year and that the Indian company would go into a joint venture with a consortium of Zambian doctors.

He said Government is in a hurry to facilitate the establishment of the diagnostic centre and the onus is on the Indian private company to actualise the agreement.

The pact sealed yesterday was witnessed by Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) officials, Bharat Scans officials and Acting Indian High Commissioner to Zambia, Oscar Kerketta.

“We want to reverse the trend of exporting patients from Zambia to other countries to importing patients into Zambia. This, we want to achieve this year,” Mr. Mutati said.

The minister was hopeful that the trend of sending scans to South Africa for interpretation would come to an end because Bharat Scans is a giant diagnostic centre in India equipped with appropriate technology.
He said the coming to Zambia of Bharat Scans officials is the fruition of a visit to Asia about five weeks ago by ZDA and Ministry of Commerce officials to woo investors.

Bharat Scans Pvt Ltd chairman and managing director, Rajamani Emmanuel said that the state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment is capable of any type of scan, including the brain, heart and abdomen. It can also be used for cancer diagnosis.

Dr Emmanuel said the cost of establishing the diagnostic centre is huge but he was hopeful of a successful investment with the support of the Zambian government.

He said the establishment of this medical facility in Zambia would reduce the cost of treatment.
“Diagnosis is more important than treatment. If you employ accurate diagnosis, it gives you accurate treatment,” he said.

Dr Emmanuel said Bharat Scans is also a recognised training institute for medical personnel in Indian, and was hopeful that they would establish a similar institute in Zambia.

Mr. Kerketta said the establishment of a high-tech diagnostic centre in Zambia is a good investment, which could also help reverse the brain drain of local medical personnel.

He urged Zambia to devise methods of making medical services affordable to the majority of the people through the creation of medical health insurance schemes.

The acting high commissioner was proud that the Indian private sector had come of age, as other companies such as Pepsi were capable of establishing investment abroad.