Standard Bank partners with Ease to bring in high-end medical equipment

Johannesburg - EASE South Africa has secured its first international lender to expand a revolutionary new model that provides clinics and hospitals with access to high-end medical equipment; an initiative that is already making an impact, with installations of a surgical robot in one South African metropolitan hospital and a PET-CT scanner in another densely populated underserved region.

EASE installs state-of-the-art PET-CT and MRI scanners, surgical robots, and other high-value machines with healthcare providers across South Africa. The approach allows hospitals and clinics to pay on a per-scan or per-event basis, aligning their costs with revenue.

Standard Bank is the first international lender to fund this innovative model.

Without the burden of heavy upfront equipment costs, a longstanding barrier for many healthcare centres in accessing the latest technology, capital is freed up for priorities such as increasing hospital beds and nursing staff. A first-of-its-kind for Africa, this initiative is set to change the healthcare landscape for many hospitals and clinics.

Imraan Soomra, CEO of EASE, says: "Securing our first international lender serves as a great support to our mission of transforming healthcare delivery in Africa. By removing the financial hurdles that limit access to advanced medical technology, our model gives hospitals and clinics the flexibility to expand care, hire more clinicians, and grow their infrastructure to better serve patients."

By linking equipment costs with revenues and offering an off-balance-sheet equipment solution, EASE's approach helps healthcare providers at once address both immediate and long-term challenges in delivering medical care. With a robust pipeline, EASE is on track to revolutionise healthcare access in South Africa. Its vision extends beyond this initial rollout, with plans to expand into additional sectors and markets.

EASE's equipment-as-a-service model has been proven with three installations in the past year. Commissioning of a PET-CT scanner at the Precision Nuclear Oncology and Theranostics facility (PNOAT) in Rustenburg, South Africa, earlier this year follows the deployment of a Da Vinci surgical robot in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and an advanced MRI diagnostic imaging system in Akwatia, Ghana.

Dr. Phumudzo Nemutaduni, a trailblazing nuclear physician who worked with EASE to install a PET-CT scanner at the PNOAT facility through her company, the Nuclear Med Group, says: "Equipment-as-a-service models that avoid capital expenditure and align costs with revenue generation are increasingly important in the healthcare sector. By enabling hospitals and clinics to access critical medical equipment without large upfront costs, such solutions can support sustainable growth and infrastructure expansion, improving healthcare accessibility in the long term."