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“I am very grateful to my team who created a PCR facility in two weeks.”

Helene Echevin

Chief Officer - Operational Excellence, CIEL Group

IFC client, Mauritius

Helene Echevin successfully handled this challenge because she knew how to adapt to the disruption of her supply chain. In Mauritius, CIEL Hospitals serves 60% of the private health market and Ms. Echevin knows that as market leaders, their clients and partners were looking at them for solutions to the crisis. They quickly mobilized to ensure that staff were trained, understood the risks and they were ready to address patients’ needs. They also set up a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Facility to complement the government’s testing capabilities for antibodies. (PCR Tests identify the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in the body.) Ms. Echevin knew that CIEL needed to support the country in responding to the outbreak. She recounts how securing the necessary COVID-19 testing kits and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) was particularly difficult in Mauritius due to its secluded location. She and her team acted quickly, prioritizing safety of staff and patients.

“I am very grateful to my team who created a PCR facility in two weeks. It was quite challenging, and we had to put a lot of efforts on the table.”

Like other private healthcare providers globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting their operations and finances. There is very limited access to cash and reductions in their revenue, which, for many private hospitals and health providers signals challenges that lie ahead after the pandemic. For now, Ms. Echevin is clear that her role is to care for CIEL’s healthcare workers and sustain employment: “We need to motivate and reassure our team while at the same time we are at a very difficult position.”

Ms. Echevin, who continues to work long hours in the office, admits that managing work-life integration is a renewed challenge particularly for women working in health care. CIEL’s staff includes expatriate nurses from India (who are often in country without additional family members), as well as local nurses that live with their families. She has found that the school closures have impacted local nurses more severely, making it difficult for them to come to work because of their need to stay home and manage their families. Ms. Echevin’s own children are being homeschooled, thanks to her husband, who is able to work from home. This enables her to bring her focus to the pandemic and on ensuring that CIEL’s staff is highly motivated and responsive for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic may last. “It’s a long journey, it is not a sprint. We need perseverance and resilience. There is an energy management component to this. As a leader, you need to show the way and have your mind clear.”

Read through the women leaders’ lessons on leading through COVID-19