WILD GEESE:Dr Ian Clarke, chairman, International Medical Group

CO ARMAGH native Dr Ian Clarke could never be accused of thinking small when it comes to his healthcare business, which he started upon his arrival in Uganda in 1988 with his wife and three pre-teen children.

After spending nine years as a general practitioner in Newtownards, the 58-year-old explained he moved to the then war-ravaged east African country because he felt his skills were needed more there as a medical missionary than at home in Northern Ireland.

“Uganda was in its early post-civil war stage and the HIV epidemic was beginning to surface in the region, so after a spur-of-the-moment visit to the country in 1987 my wife and I decided to move here to see what help we could provide.

“With the support of our Anglican church we set up a clinic, which is now called Kiwoko Hospital, north of the capital Kampala as a way to help poor Ugandans who could not afford medical care,” he recalled.

Rather than sitting back and admiring his initial handy work, Clarke has gone on to establish the International Medical Group, a company that employees 700-800 staff and comprises 15 clinics and a highly specialised hospital as well as a university that offers degree courses for health professionals. Today he is the company’s chairman.

“We moved to England in 1993 so our children could sit their O- and A-level exams, but after spending time in Uganda doing the type of work we did, it was hard to move back to a western lifestyle. So we moved back to Uganda in 1995 and I started a private clinic in Kampala to cater for the middle classes that were beginning to emerge after a decade of peace.

“What we have been trying to do is to use the income made from our private patients to upgrade the services at both the private hospital and the community clinics, thus positively impacting health services in the country for everyone. I have built up the business by reinvesting my own money and through bank loans. I guess some people might call me a social entrepreneur, but I use standard business methods,” he said.

Clarke believes that Irish graduates would have a lot to offer countries in sub-Saharan Africa and, given the level of experience and opportunities on offer, they could do much worse than approach companies in the region to avail of internship programmes.

“There are many openings and opportunities in Uganda for western graduates because of the level of education they get in their home countries. There aren’t enough local professionals to fill the gaps because of the skills shortage, so well-trained foreign graduates tend to be moved into positions of high responsibility much quicker than they would back home.

“In return for the higher levels of exposure they get in their chosen field, the foreign professionals can help to monitor and train Ugandans coming through,” he explained.

In addition to the higher levels of experience, Clarke said an advantage the healthcare sector in Uganda has over Ireland’s is that the system is far less bureaucratic, which means one can get a lot done in a shorter space of time.

However, on the down side, he warned that foreign professionals must be ready to tackle a local workplace culture in which procedures and practices are not of as high a standard as they are used to.

“Sometimes local people have this view that once they secure a good job they have ‘arrived’, and don’t have to work as hard as they did, so the standards begin to slip. People coming from the first world must be aware of this tendency and insist high standards are maintained,” he said.

In terms of fitting in to Ugandan society, Clarke said there should not be too much of a culture shock for new arrivals from Ireland, as English is widely spoken and Ugandans are a very social people.

“I like it here because you are not pigeonholed – people accept you for who you are. Also, there is no racial disharmony like you find in some African countries. For instance, I write a weekly column for a daily paper here and sometimes I can be very critical, but I am never told to rein myself in or to not say something by officials,” he said.

Sectors other than healthcare in Uganda that hold opportunities for Irish people looking to work abroad include banking and telecommunications, commented Clarke, who added that as well as trying to secure a job from Ireland, people should consider coming over as a visitor – like he did – to see what’s available first hand.

“It is not hard to get in to the country so maybe people should just come over and explore the opportunities that are available. If you’re Irish, the visa fee has been waived.

“If you get a job then you can start the process of getting a work permit,” he said.