PSH pauses Savaii Hospital project for governance restructure

Pasifika Specialist Healthcare Samoa Limited (PSH Samoa) has reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a specialist hospital in Savai‘i, making clear that the project has not been abandoned, cancelled or terminated.

PSH Founder and Managing Director Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish Kumar said the temporary pause announced this week is necessary to allow PSH to take important corrective measures around the project’s local shareholding and governance arrangements before development proceeds.

“We are not abandoning the project. We are pausing so that we can correct the governance and shareholding structure and move forward with confidence,” Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish said.

“The project remains very important to me and to PSH. We want to make sure it is established on the right foundation and with absolute integrity.”

PSH will undertake the appropriate corporate processes to cancel the existing local shareholding arrangements and establish a revised structure that protects the independence of the investment.”

Tagaloafaaofonuu said PSH would rather address the issues now than allow questions over governance or potential conflicts of interest to follow a project intended to serve Samoa and it’s people for generations.

“This hospital must be about healthcare and the people we serve. It cannot be compromised by political interests, personal interests or conflicts of interest,” he said.

“We will take the time needed to put the right structure in place. My commitment to building a specialist hospital in Savai‘i has not changed.”

Making Modern Healthcare Accessible
Tagaloafaaofonuu reiterates that his vision and reason for establishing PSH ten years ago in 2016 remains intact: to make modernised healthcare accessible to our Pacific people and to help the vulnerable through the PSH Foundation.

“PSH Samoa goes beyond constructing a private hospital.”

At the heart of the project is a commitment to make modern and specialist healthcare more accessible to Samoan families and to ensure, wherever possible, that vulnerable people are not denied care because of their circumstances.

As part of that commitment, PSH Samoa intends to provide free medical care to victims of domestic violence, including children who have been sexually assaulted.

PSH also provides free medical care to Fiji citizens aged 65 years and over. PSH Samoa is exploring how a similar initiative could be introduced for senior citizens in Samoa.

“A private hospital can still have a very strong social purpose,” Tagaloafaaofonuu said.

“Modern healthcare should not only be available to those who can afford to travel overseas. Our vision is to bring that care closer to our Pacific people by establishing PSH across the Pacific.”

Commitment Already Put Into Practice
That commitment is already being demonstrated before the Savai‘i hospital has been built.

During the PSH team’s visit to Samoa last week for the groundbreaking ceremony at Salelologa, the team became aware of a 14-year-old Samoan girl with a longstanding heart condition associated with rheumatic fever.

The child was assessed by PSH cardiac specialist Dr Sanjeev Khulbey, who identified the need for corrective heart surgery.

Following the assessment, Tagaloafaaofonuu offered to provide the treatment at no cost to the family. PSH is fully funding the child’s return airfares with her mother, their accommodation in Fiji and the cost of her corrective heart surgery at PSH Nadi.

The child and her mother travelled to Fiji on Sunday 20 September for treatment.

The child will remain anonymous and PSH will not release information that could identify her. Tagaloafaaofonuu said the assistance reflects the purpose behind PSH’s expansion into Samoa.

“We came to Samoa to break ground for a hospital, but while we were there we were given an opportunity to help a young Samoan child access the treatment she needs,” he said.

“That is what this vision is about. It is not just about constructing a building. It is about people being able to access modern healthcare when they need it.”

The assistance reflects the work of the Pacific Specialist Healthcare Foundation, established to help patients access specialist treatment where financial circumstances might otherwise place that treatment beyond their reach.

PSH hopes the Foundation will become an important part of its future presence in Samoa, providing another avenue through which vulnerable Samoan patients can access specialist medical care.

“The PSH Foundation receives generous donations from our partners and individuals treated by our healthcare specialists, and that is used to offer healthcare services to vulnerable groups,” said Tagaloafaaofonuu.

Commitment to Samoa Remains
The Savai‘i hospital project was officially launched at a groundbreaking ceremony in Salelologa last week, following years of work by PSH towards establishing a presence in Samoa.

On the same day, Parvish Kumar was bestowed the chiefly title Tagaloafaaofonuu at Gautavai, Savaii further strengthening what he has described as a personal commitment to Samoa and its people.

PSH said the current pause will allow the company to urgently resolve the governance and shareholding issues properly. It should not affect the overall timetable for development.

“We are putting things right so that when we move forward, we do so with a structure that protects the project, protects its purpose and gives the people of Samoa confidence in what we are building.

“My vision for PSH Samoa remains the same — to bring modern, specialist healthcare closer to our people and to make that care as accessible as we can.”

PSH will provide further updates on the Savai‘i development once the governance restructuring process has been completed.