When Feisal Alibhai was diagnosed with stage-three cancer, the successful 35-year-old entrepreneur did not take the news lying down.
Today, after tackling 20 rounds of chemo and three surgeries, he is healthy again and starting a new business that draws on the knowledge that he gained about the healthcare industry (not to mention the strength of character he derives from his recovery).
Alibhai launched Qineticare, Hong Kong’s first dedicated family health office, in May — a business that focuses on the qualities he learned to value most during his illness: “What I look for is competency, accessibility and humanity,” he said in an interview at his new offices recently.
A Wharton graduate who had built a successful distribution business across war-torn Africa, Alibhai took charge of his own treatment with business-school discipline. Rather than trusting blindly in the care of a GP, he set about finding out everything he could. He wanted the best possible care, access to the latest knowledge and therapies, and he wanted them as quickly as possible.
“Speed is important,” he said. And it was particularly important in his case. After years of travelling around some of the most dangerous countries in the world, he was probably more prepared than most people for a medical emergency, but the nature and seriousness of his condition was a surprise. This was not malaria.
After his doctor found 10 tumours, one the size of a grapefruit, Alibhai was ready to fly from his home in Hong Kong to seek out the world’s best specialists in the US. But the severity of his condition delayed the decision long enough for him to discover something few people realise about Hong Kong: it offers world-class healthcare, and even has some significant advantages over both the US and the EU.
“There are only three people in the world who could do the surgery I needed,” he said. “And the best was in Hong Kong.”
Discussions about medical tourism in Asia tend to focus on India, Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand — a tendency that was reinforced last year by IHH Healthcare’s $2 billion initial public offering. For international investors, such markets offer the opportunity to deploy big chunks of capital. IHH alone has close to 5,000 beds in 30 hospitals, as well as medical centres, clinics and other healthcare businesses, mostly in Malaysia, Singapore and Turkey.
Hong Kong is a much smaller proposition for investors, but quality is what counts for patients. The city has just 12 private hospitals, but almost all of them are highly rated by international accreditation agencies, and many local specialists are among the leaders in their fields.
“I am determined to shine a brighter light on the fabulous medical professionals we have in Hong Kong,” said Alibhai.
Access to cutting-edge treatments and procedures is another benefit, as Hong Kong automatically accepts anything approved for use in either the US or Europe, compared to a slower approval process across the Atlantic.
And all of this is available with Hong Kong’s typical sense of urgency. Specialists who spend more hours with patients and fewer on the golf course contribute to a system that is extremely efficient.
But navigating it can still be hard work, which is where Alibhai hopes to come in. His service offers access to a list of leading medical practitioners, as well as the knowledge that he has gained through his own illness and several years of applying his singular focus to sick friends and family members.
To that end, Qineticare provides its members with a full medical and lifestyle audit, focusing on proactive healthcare managed by a dedicated team.
Alibhai talks often, and passionately, about humanity — and the lack of attention that most of us pay to our own health seems to be a genuine source of bemusement to him. “It’s a matter of priorities,” he said. “Most people are not prepared, but what is more important than your health, your life?”
