David Rabkin
, ContributorMY DOG, Rudi, just turned one year old. To celebrate the occasion we bought her a new toy and gave her a particularly delicious bone.
We thought that was plenty of excitement, but Rudi decided she preferred to celebrate by munching on a fern we keep on the patio. It's a big fern and, after all, it was her birthday, so we figured it was no big deal.
Until she started to get sick. Suffice it to say, we saw that fern several more times and not just on the patio.
VETERINARY MEDICINE
By the time we decided we ought to take Rudi to the vet it was Saturday afternoon. Had we been back in the States, that would probably have meant driving 30 miles to the 24-hour veterinary clinic, waiting three hours for a five-minute checkup, and then driving home, with a stop on the way to pick up some medicine.
In Kingston, we were able to drive right over to see Rudi's regular vet, who had no problem making herself available on a weekend. We waited for five minutes before our pooch was welcomed inside.
The vet then spent about 20 minutes with her, administered the first dose of medicine, and gave us a full supply to take home with us.
Rudi's all better now, and the fern has been moved.
PEOPLE DOCTORS, TOO
Although I do sometimes wonder whether St. Andrew has more veterinary clinics than restaurants (why, I cannot guess), our great experience with the vet was entirely consistent with our general experience with medical care in Jamaica.
In fact, each time I see my own physician I spend a pleasant 45 minutes to an hour discussing both my condition and things in general. On the last visit, he served me tea.
Both my wife and I experience only brief waits, even for specialists, and receive excellent and compassionate advice. The full cost of these sessions tends to be approximately the same as our 10 per cent co-payments for our United States-based medical professionals despite the fact that they often attended the very same medical schools. And we rarely even need to pull out a credit card to pay the prescription drug bill at the pharmacy.
On a recent trip home from the doctor my wife said: "The quality of medical care here is so much better than in Boston."
WHAT IS QUALITY?
But wait a minute. Isn't Boston supposed to be the medical capital of the world? Isn't the Boston medical community arguably the most sophisticated on the planet?
A typical U.S. reader might be thinking at this point that my wife is either insane or has succumbed to that most famous of Jamaican plants.
Yet, in fact, my wife is a speech pathologist, who spent a decade working in a mass general hospital (the most prominent hospital system in Boston and one of the most renowned on the planet).
What my wife and my dog have noticed is that quality is a matter of outcomes, not inputs.
The life expectancy of the average Jamaican is virtually the same as the average U.S. resident.
While there could be many explanations for this fact (such as that Jamaicans don't freeze in snow half the year), one contributing factor might possibly be that doctors take more time to get to know their patients and their patients' needs.
I, for one, am much more likely to visit the doctor if I know it will be a short and positive experience.
SO, WHAT'S THE POINT?
This is not to say that the Jamaican health system is in excellent shape (I have no expertise whatsoever in that area). Nor would I choose to have brain surgery in St. Thomas over Boston.
Even to a lay-person like myself, it is obvious that the medical infrastructure and availability of high-tech equipment is far greater in Boston.
Yet quality is often in the eyes of the beholder, or more accurately, the customer. Medical practices are, after all, businesses, and patients are their customers.
Jamaican medical businesses may not be able to offer maximum product range, but they do seem capable of offering top quality in certain product areas.
Put another way, while Jamaica may not be able to provide all of the specialty services of Boston, nor possess every piece of expensive apparatus, Jamaican medical professionals may still be able to provide my family with the highest quality service for our routine medical needs.
This is a lesson that all Jamaican businesses should internalise. Sure, the business environment could use an upgrade, and yes, you may be under-funded relative to your international counterparts. But none of that prevents you from serving a segment of customers better than anybody else in the world.
Keep three things in mind:
Start by identifying customer needs, as opposed to getting stuck on where your competitors can outspend you or what you don't have relative to them.
Don't let your environment dictate your attitude. some of the world's most successful companies started in garages - or first-floors of residences.
Do what only you can do, in a way that only you can do it. Offer truly unique value regardless of the product or service and you will rewarded by the market.
Oh, and one more thing. If you need a good veterinarian, I can make a recommendation.
David Rabkin is project director of the Jamaica Cluster Competitiveness Project, sponsored by the Jamaica Exporters Association. He is a vice-president in the Boston-based advisory
firm, ontheFRONTIER. He can be reached at:
drabkin@onthefrontier.com
