A MONTH after the Government of Nauru announced a ground breaking strategic partnership with UAE company Global Mission Support Services or GMSS to take over the management and delivery of the country’s health services, the results have already been transformational.
Minister for Public Health Maverick Eoe said while the first 30 days were earmarked for assessment and planning, the new medical team had already made major progress including reactivating the eye clinic and performing high-impact surgeries that previously could not be performed domestically.
“The government decided that in order to make a real difference in the health care of all Nauruans we had to be innovative, and we are absolutely confident that this solution will dramatically improve, and restore trust in, our health system,” he said.
The health team has also responded to a dengue fever outbreak which is now under control following consultation with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the company’s engineering team fixed the flooding at the hospital’s entrance which has been an issue for decades.
The partnership, at no extra cost to the Nauru government, was announced in Parliament last month by President David Adeang, who said, “The government…had concluded that engaging an experienced and capable private sector partner is a necessary step to ensure our people continue to receive quality and timely medical care, both locally and abroad.”
He also said the new arrangement will reduce the financial burden on the [overseas medical referral program] but assured the nation that “this arrangement will (still) ensure that our most vulnerable citizens — those who require overseas medical treatment — are cared for with dignity, efficiency, and compassion.”
The GMSS medical team on Nauru are leading experts from across the world and include a U.S. chief medical officer, a Ukrainian brigadier general who was a special forces physician, an Israeli ophthalmic surgeon, an Australian professor of public policy, a former British Royal Air Force doctor, and a U.S. Navy admiral.
GMSS manager Roy Shaposhnik said, “Our mission has been receiving outstanding support and goodwill from government, the private sector, and most importantly, the people of Nauru.
“Their support and cooperation remain our greatest motivators and enablers.”
The initial team included civil engineers, logistics specialists, and operations personnel, followed by additional subject-matter experts who conducted in-depth assessments of the Nauru hospital and public health facilities.
GMSS medical adviser Dr. Dezheen Zebari said thinking of just how much change they can make in Nauru is “very exciting.”
“This will be a transformative change and build a resilient health care system,” she said.
Zebari credited President Adeang along with ministers Eoe and Charmaine Scotty for “their vision.”
