Directing a new hospital in Lesotho

Becoming the First (voluntary) Medical Director

Unni had been working in a small rural hospital in Lesotho in 2012 when the new Queen M’amohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) was opened. This was the new Lesotho National Hospital, which was funded by the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, and by South Africa, and opened as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Unni's reputation for getting things done, and for not tolerating corruption were well known, and he was approached to become the first Medical Director for the Hospital. He took this task on so long as he was allowed to do it as a volunteer, to maintain total independence. He guided the hospital through its first 18 months.

Keeping it all on the straight and narrow

A combination of Unni's extensive experience of how things 'really get done', and his insomnia (hence walking the wards at all times of day and night) allowed him to prevent the few attempts of low-level corruption from happening, and helped a really positive ethos to prevail among all of the staff.

Paediatrics in QMMH

Unni was an active part of the new paediatric team in QMMH, which was led by Dr Malikotsi Metsing. She is a very experienced local paediatrician. 

Increased survival for all types of patients

During Unni's time as MD of QMMH, the overall patient mortality fell by almost half. It fell even more for children, and for the first time ever, very premature babies (under 28 weeks gestation) began to survive.