African Medical Investments plc (AMEI) – Commissioned to Operate Cape Town Airport Clinic
This agreement with Airports Company South Africa Ltd is in line with the Company’s strategy of developing VIP Healthcare into a leading owner and operator of airport clinics, trauma and Well Woman centres and boutique hospitals throughout Africa.
VIP Healthcare has operated the Airport Medical & Travel Vaccination Centre at Johannesburg International Airport since 1994, which provides on-site medical services exclusively to passengers, as well as airport workers, local businesses, NGOs and embassy employees. The Board intends to replicate the services currently available at the airport clinic in Johannesburg at the new facility, which is targeted to be operational from 1 May 2009, at Cape Town International Airport and will be extended to full capacity when the new terminal opens in November 2009. The facility will house an emergency medical care and resuscitation unit, a minor operation theatre and an after-care and recovery facility. Ambulances, response vehicles and medical flight arrangements will also be available to patients ensuring that all medical cases are dealt with quickly, or in instances where major or specialist surgery is required, referrals to the appropriate hospital facility will be undertaken. In addition to the emergency services provided by the new clinic, revenues will also be generated through occupational health screening for airline employees and other associated staff, travel vaccinations for visitors, physiotherapy treatment, dental services and a pharmacy.
Cape Town is being increasingly recognised as a major visitor destination and Cape Town International Airport, in addition to Johannesburg airport, is an important tourist entry point into other cities in South Africa and other locations in sub-Saharan Africa from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The Board see that this new planned facility will enable the Company to capitalise on the increased demand for quality healthcare, all located at a dedicated medical facility within the airport. In 2008, eight million people passed through the airport and the number is expected to grow by 15-20% per annum. Various corporate and sporting events are also scheduled over the next four years, which are expected to swell the number of visitors passing through the airport including three major conferences with over 50,000 delegates attending each, the Confederation Cup (the precursor to FIFA World Cup), the FIFA World Cup 2010, the World Cup Cricket 20/20 and the Lions Tour 2009.
The Board has identified Cape Town as a strategic location to facilitate the Company’s future growth in southern Africa. Strong relationships with local private clinics and specialists have been forged in Johannesburg, and the Board see that these relationships will similarly be established in Cape Town. These affiliations are key to African Medical as they provide the Company with additional access points to launch into other areas of Africa. Importantly, only African Medical staff will be authorised to supervise and escort medical flights in and out of the airport in the instance of evacuations and for transferring medical cases from clinics around Africa to South Africa for further treatments.
African Medical CEO Dr. Vivek Solanki said, “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract, which will enable us to replicate the successful clinic that we have been operating at Johannesburg airport for the last 15 years. Cape Town is an ideal location for this type of facility, with the clinic being a fantastic addition to our expanding portfolio of medical operations. We recently opened a 30 bed trauma centre and Well Woman clinic in Dar-es-Salaam, which is already treating patients and we are in the process of constructing a similar facility in Maputo in Mozambique. We believe that there is a huge demand for private medical care in Africa, and our business model is ideally suited to delivering successful boutique medical facilities in targeted areas of Africa and in turn generating strong returns for our shareholders.”