Good idea to set up private medical (orthopaedic) clinic?

External wrote:

FWIW: OP did study medicine in Mauritius and should know .
Look at his posting history.
Asking for a friend is the new mantra these days 

Thanks for the head up.

Good grief!

I'm checking up his posting history now and it's one roller coaster ride of a journey from travel and tourism business to studying at some medical college and now asking on behalf of a friend about setting up a private medical practice! 

WinstonH wrote:

Hi,

Many institutional, regulatory and cultural aspects to your question.

First we have to define the different terms here.
A clinic in Mauritius is generally a private hospital run by a private company, organisation or charity.
A private practice is a small facility run by one or more doctors. Services is usually limited and the doctor will usually refer the patient to a public or private hospital for specialized treatment, diagnosis and tests.

Now regarding the regulatory framework, orthopaedics is not really considered a scarce medical speciality that warrants foreign expertise in Mauritius contrary to plastic surgery or oncology, etc. Therefore, it's quite difficult at this stage to state whether you will be granted an investor permit, which you will need if you will be importing equipment and employing people, to start your practice.

Not to mention the medical council is quite refractory to expats amidst a subtle but growing outcry regarding foreign doctors practicing in Mauritius in areas where local competency is available.

The best way to find out is to come to Mauritius with your detailed business plan and meet with the authorities and other stakeholders in this field and this will definitely give you a better insight about whether your project is feasible or not.

Dear Winston, thanks much for your very thorough reply! Really appreciate it.

External wrote:

FWIW: OP did study medicine in Mauritius and should know .
Look at his posting history.
Asking for a friend is the new mantra these days 

Thanks for taking the time to go through my posting history External and Winston, appreciate that too Let's settle the dust on some points:

1. Yes I went to med school in Mauritius - I never said I didn't. Thus, had a basic idea of how things work, but don't really know how much customer / patient demand is present for a new orthopaedic cabinet (if anyone has any more views on this, would really appreciate it.)

2. I am a doctor, but haven't specialised in orthopaedics, so I don't think I have the right to practice the speciality. So, this question was definitely not for me. I have rather specialised in another field of medicine and have thereon studied business at one of the golden triangle universities in the UK - and am now happy doing what I am doing, in another part of the world. So this was genuinely for someone else. Maybe my bad that I mentioned that I am asking for someone?

3. My affinity to life in Mauritius drew me to consider areas of business that I could take up in order to make a life in Mauritius, but that didn't pan out well - it's a land of limited opportunities, with limited acknowledgement for good talent (again, i'm not saying I consider myself such). So that explains the roller coaster of past threads.

4. And if I had to ask for myself, I would do it straightaway like my previous posts, we're all hiding behind a generic ID anyway - I promise docindie isn't the first name mentioned in my passport.

Thanks again for your time, let's keep the forum positive and helpful.

Cheers!