Aspen Medical does not expect to make any profit in the first 10 years while operating the Lautoka and Ba hospitals under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government of Fiji and the Fiji National Provident Fund, says Aspen Medical Fiji CEO Annette Owttrim.
She said the first 10 years in a PPP were always the most challenging.
“With significant infrastructure and capital investments, there is no significant return on shareholders’ investments anticipated in that time,” she said.
“The focus is on providing patients with facilities.
“It will take some time for shareholders to start getting a return on investment.”
Aspen Medical said current services at the Lautoka and Ba hospitals would remain free to the public for services they did not pay for before Aspen Medical commenced services.
Ms Owttrim has significant experience in the Pacific region where she was part of the first Aspen Medical project in the Solomon Islands during RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) and in East Timor for 15 years.
“Over the past 15 years, the company has provided primary care, emergency care, aeromedical evacuation services and managed hospitals and clinics for customers in the private and public sectors in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Kiribati,” she said.
