continue to strengthen and expand our outreach to offer life-enhancing services across South Asia and Africa. In Bangladesh, we acquired the Evercare Hospital Dhaka and opened a second hospital, in Chattogram. We also bought two new hospitals in India bringing the total to 13 hospitals in the country, spread across 6 states. We opened Evercare Lahore Hospital in Pakistan and Evercare Lekki Hospital in Nigeria – both greenfield projects – as well as a large number of diagnostic centres which provided essential services which were particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. These facilities are fully equipped with the latest technology and staffed with highly skilled doctors and nurses. Evercare has also been investing in quality. Of our 29 hospitals, 15 have achieved international accreditation including Joint Commission International which sets the benchmarks for service quality and patient safety across the world. A clinical governance committee for the group meets regularly to review monitor, guide and support the delivery of care with a focus on the quadruple aim of our healthcare system delivery: Patient outcomes, patient experience, healthcare worker well-being and efficiency. We also recently launched the Evercare Foundation, a not-for-profit arm of the Group, to sharpen our focus on improving the health of vulnerable women and children across our area of operations. Although not even a year old, the Foundation has already delivered a life-changing impact through its flagship initiative in Pakistan. This programme, based at Evercare Hospital Lahore, provides free Cochlear implants and supportive care to children from rural villages who face a lifetime of hardship and exclusion due to unaddressed hearing impairment. Today in Kenya, the Foundation is developing a programme for women in resource-poor settings and rural areas to increase their access to safe pregnancy, birthing, and post-natal care by upskilling community health workers together with the Ministry of Health and local NGOs. In Bangladesh, we are supporting surgical interventions for children with congenital anomalies. Projects like these contribute to more inclusive societies and support the rights and dignity of everyone. Moreover, at Evercare Group we believe that there is a fundamental connection between healthy patients, employees, and the environment. For us as impact investors, ESG cannot just be a punchline, it really has to be core to our DNA, and we need to live that commitment and leadership every day in our business. We recently partnered with EMEX, a global leader in ESG compliance reporting to provide real-time information in support of our environmental and sustainability goals so we can measure our progress. We have also decided to implement a series of renewable solar PV and energy efficiency projects at five key hospitals in three countries to help reduce our carbon footprint. We cannot build quality healthcare systems without highly trained and motivated staff. In Evercare, we use the term “Caregivers” to acknowledge that every person within our group goes above and beyond in the care they provide, regardless of their specific job profile and position in the organization. We have first-class training facilities within the Group, and we also rotate our clinicians and nursing talent through our global mobility program to provide international developmental assignments across our area of operations. We promote and push for equal opportunities across our workforce, which is already largely composed of women on the clinical side. We currently have women in 34% of senior and middle management roles and we are committed to reach the target of 50% in the next few years. Beyond addressing the need for gender parity, Evercare is currently supporting the incubation of a women’s network and building a succession management program to ensure affirmative action. So, we are justifiably proud of our achievements. But because we see the needs in the countries where we work, and because we remain committed to continuous improvement, we also know much remains to be done, and that keeps us focused. What were the obstacles you faced along the way and the challenges facing the private health sector in general? We inherited this platform on the understanding that change was required in key areas of management and delivery. I believe we are on the right track and a lot of progress has been attained, but the focus has to be on working towards the next level of excellence. Of course, the COVID pandemic has been a major factor, and no one could have predicted the scale of its impact. Our first duty was to contribute to the national CEO Today Middle East Awards 2023 - UAE - - 36 -
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