Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH Hospitals) founder and CEO Mr Parvish Kumar, right, hands over the major sponsorship cheque of $5,000 to Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dr Ram Raju, left, board member Bir Chand Jena and treasurer Rajeshni Devi during the launching of PSH Foundation in Nadi on Thursday, May 22. Photo: SHALENDRA PRASAD.

DURING THE PSH Hospitals Sponsored Nadi Chamber of Commerce Business Forum 2025

Venue: – Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi

Date: – Friday, May 23^rd, 2025
Theme: Fiji’s Economic Preview – The Next Fiscal Budget and Beyond

Deputy Prime Minister Honourable Prof Biman Prasad, President Nadi Chamber of Commerce & Industry Dr Ram Raju, members of the Nadi Chamber of Commerce, distinguished guests, business leaders and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen:

Bula vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.

It is both a privilege and a responsibility to speak to you today, not just as the CEO of PSH Hospitals, but as a proud Fijian committed to building a healthier, stronger, and more inclusive nation.

The theme of this year’s forum, Fiji’s Economic Preview: The Next Fiscal Budget and Beyond”, is both timely and vital, because if we are to envision a prosperous future for Fiji, we must first ensure that our people are healthy enough to contribute to it. Fiji’s demographic dividend is slightly above 1.9 as per the recent World Bank Fiji health sector review which is a very good thing, however this makes it more important that we take care of the health of our people and our workforce …. For the economy and families to flourish.

Today, I have been asked to speak on the challenges and opportunities in the health sector. Let me begin with this, we are at a crossroads.

Our health system faces pressure on many fronts:

1. Rising NCDs continue to claim lives at a young age, costing our economy productive years.

1. Public hospitals are overstretched, despite the commendable dedication of frontline workers.
2. Specialist care remains limited in outer islands, and even in some mainland areas.
3. And despite Fiji’s progress, many still travel overseas for medical care, taking millions of dollars out of our economy each year simply due to policy wordings in several group schemes whereby members cover locally is only in some cases till $10,000 while for same member for overseas cover it goes up till 100 to 200K when PSH Hospitals now offer same open heart surgeries that India etc. offers which can be delivered now in Fiji at a lower cost and stop the Fijian dollar from leaving the country.

Every challenge in healthcare is also a call to innovate.

PSH Hospitals has invested significantly in cutting-edge surgical care, diagnostics, and highly trained medical professionals, some of whom have returned from abroad to serve our people.

Today, we are not just treating patients from Fiji. We are receiving patients from across the Pacific, even from as far as USA, Italy, Germany, and Australia, who are coming to us for procedures that would otherwise take them elsewhere at very high costs.

This is medical tourism in motion with PSH Hospitals leading the charge.

But for medical tourism to scale up, we must look beyond infrastructure. We need policy support, marketing partnerships with Tourism Fiji, streamlined visa facilitation, and clear government _ private hospital collaboration frameworks.

We propose that the next fiscal budget includes:

1. Tax incentives for health providers that serve both local and foreign patients. At least VAT Waiver or a VAT refund scheme just as it was provided for under the Tourist VAT Refund scheme. VAT refund or waiver for medical tourism will give the industry further price point advantage on global platforms and for locals it will reduce out-of-pocket expenditure further.
2. Medical investment incentives for local operators to further assist us in our healthcare development
3. State support for local charitable foundations who provide free medical procedures to the needy.

I must now also update you all that last night PSH Hospitals launched its PSH Foundation, a platform to fund free surgeries for the poor, especially those needing cardiac and neuro surgical interventions. We believe that saving one life saves the entire family and the work of PSH Foundation is not just about charity, it’s about economic inclusion and giving hope. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. Every dollar spent preventing a disability or premature death saves far more in social welfare, lost productivity and downstream healthcare costs.

We therefore seek the support of both government and corporate donors to champion this cause, and call for dedicated tax exemptions for companies contributing to such healthcare foundations.

As we discuss the upcoming fiscal budget and beyond, let us remember:
Health is not a line item. It is the foundation of every other sector—from tourism to agriculture to education. We invite the government to explore public-private partnerships with providers like ours to manage sub-divisional hospitals, specialist units, and island outreach.
We urge the business community to invest not only in infrastructure and finance, but in the well-being of the very people who drive this economy.

Let us make Fiji not only a paradise for visitors, but a place where every citizen, rich or poor, can access world-class healthcare, right here at home.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Thank you for believing in the vision of a healthier Fiji.

May we build it together…….budget by budget, surgery by surgery, life by life.

Vinaka vakalevu.