Investing in Healthcare – An Investor’s Perspective of Considerations

 A friend of mine once asked me how I could even consider making a business based on people’s ill health, saying that he can invest in anything else but not health and food business. I asked him if could invest in mortuary and hearse services and actually create wealth from such business, he said they fall under healthcare which capitalizes on people’s painful predicaments. Unfortunately, majority of the populace have this mindset. They do not understand how one can create wealth through other people’s suffering. They cannot comprehend how they can be paying for services because of something they did not ask for – disease. The more understanding people do not seem to understand why the services are so expensive and why it takes long for test to be done.

As an investor in healthcare, one has to ensure to the best of their ability address such issues recognizing that offering treatment services is beyond a business venture. Investing in quality healthcare is emotions-intensive, finances-intensive, labor intensive and time consuming. The requirements by the government to be registered and approved as a service provider are as diverse as are the organizations that oversee various functions.

One has to be prepared to keep abreast with developments in the industry and adjust accordingly to remain relevant and effective in services delivery: new diseases and ever-changing disease patterns and drugs. Venturing into healthcare service delivery to bring the much-required help to people is one of the most satisfying activities one can be involved in. Seeing lives saved, body organs preserved and overall health restored is one of the most satisfying achievements of a healthcare provider.

Investing in healthcare services delivery is not for the faint hearted, as it involves lives of people. Every provision of services requires one to both realize the emotions involved, empathize with people while not being emotionally attached so as to deliver the required services. Striking a balance is skill that one develops along the way.

An investor has to strive to fulfill the requirements of various governing laws, regulations and standards that have been set up by international and local bodies to do with healthcare. This include having the correct ratio of nurses and doctors per given population. 

As one investor in health service delivery, Jayesh Saini, reflects, investing in healthcare was propelled by great passion to see people receive healthcare services when and where needed without much hustle. He recalls he had to go through a phase of reflection whether he was being driven by emotions, desire to create wealth or to impact people’s lives. He had a vision, and he stepped out to pursue it and ensure affordable, accessible quality healthcare for all is fulfilled. He believed then and still believes that Kenya has all it takes to ultimately have quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to all the citizens of Kenya.

Since independence there have been gradual improvements and increase in health facilities. The increase has been more notable in the past 20 years with more facilities being set up away from the urban settings.