India, September 19: Started 11 years ago, Bliss Healthcare entered the market with the goal of providing quality and affordable healthcare to all that is efficient and easily accessible. Jayesh Saini, a second-generation Kenyan, is the founder of Bliss Healthcare and back then, he vowed to introduce radical changes to the healthcare industry. According to Kenya’s Ministry of Health, its vision is for a Healthy, Productive and Globally Competitive nation, while its mission is to build a progressive and responsive healthcare system for accelerated attainment of the highest standard of health for all Kenyans. In conversation with the dynamic leader, let’s explore the steps taken to revolutionize the Kenyan health industry.
What were some of the issues you observed that led you to uplift the healthcare infrastructure in Kenya?
A country cannot purport to have a good healthcare system without the services being easily accessible, affordable and generally of acceptable quality to the majority of the populace. None of the three is more important than the other but is like conjoined triplets – the three must go together.
In my opinion, there is no point in having affordable services that are 100 kilometers away, accessible services that are of poor quality, or good quality services that are not or accessible services that are of poor quality, or good quality services that are not affordable . The majority of healthcare providers were mainly concentrated in Nairobi and the urban towns such as Mombasa and Kisumu, with many of them being out of reach or accessible services that are of poor quality or good quality services that are not affordable. Even with government facilities spread out in many parts of the country, there is the issue of inconsistencies in medical supplies (including drugs) and equipment for diagnostics, thus hindering the provision of services.
Upon identifying the pain points, what were the steps taken to improve the quality of life for thousands of Kenyans?
Once the issues were highlighted, I pumped a lot of investment into diagnostic services, which led to an unrivaled infrastructure footprint of 51 Dental Centers, 48 Optical Centers, Radiology equipment of 5 CT scans, 51 Ultrasounds, and 41 X-Rays, meaning that they have been able to provide quality services at very affordable rates.
Moreover, I wish to increase the human resource capacity of Bliss Healthcare to serve its patients. This has led to the network enlisting over 2,000 healthcare professionals and staff to serve its clientele of over 80,000 patients each month. All the investment in the health sector can only be notable if it translates to impact, especially in terms of efficiency, digitization, and proper utilization of whatever resources are available. In the case of Bliss Healthcare, since it started years back, there have been calls to have them open branches in different counties across the country to bring their quality and affordable services closer to the people.
It is this immense public approval of Bliss Healthcare’s service offering that has led to its rapid growth. It now boasts of being present in 37 of the country’s 47 counties. To take advantage of Kenya’s explosive digital scene and make healthcare services more convenient, we introduced innovative programs like Telemedicine. The program currently serves an average of 10,000 clients each month. Patients have grown to like it as it has ensured time-saving since one does not have to commute for in-person doctor consultations. This time is now being dedicated to other socio-economic activities. Moreover, it has also led to cost savings since one can pick up their drugs in any part of the country, wherever they see a Bliss Medical Center.
In addition to the existing welfare programs, is there anything else you and Bliss Healthcare are currently focusing on?
Yes, Bliss Healthcare also started a first-of-a-kind program called the Chronic Disease Management Program. It is no secret that Kenya has been facing an ever-growing problem of non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes and hypertension. Through this unique program, patients have been mapped to centers that ensure that they register, track appointment attendance, and ensure patients always get affordable drugs on time. This program has been so successful because it has led to many positive outcomes.
Patients who are usually on lifelong drug treatment have been able to faithfully stick to their regimens of affordable drug therapy. Many patients have been able to also be weaned off drugs and managed only through nutritional therapy. Bliss serves clients from all segments, including the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), insurance companies, and direct walk-in clients.
To know more, visit – https://www.blissmedicalcentre.com/
