The Business of Hope
For Sashwin Padayachee, joining Hopelands Cancer Centre was meant to be a career move. Twelve days later, it became deeply personal.
In March 2020, just before South Africa’s first COVID-19 lockdown, he stepped in as CFO. Days after that, his father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
“You get to see the other side of the coin,” Sashwin says. “What are the anxieties for the family? What are the touch points they worry about most? It opened my eyes to how we at Hopelands Cancer Centre can do better for our patients.”
That perspective now shapes everything at Hopelands. The business is not measured by profit margins, but by patient outcomes, patient access to treatment and staff well being. During the pandemic, they protected their immuno-comprised patients and kept salaries intact without compromise.
Innovation grounded in science
The healthcare sector is under pressure: rising costs, increased cancer prevalence, and more diagnoses among younger adults. Sashwin notes a 15% rise in cases since 2020 at their respective centres.
In response, Hopelands has embraced science led solutions. They offer clinical trials that give patients access to drugs not readily available in South Africa. They have adopted the latest radiotherapy technologies like Hypersight and in conjunction with the Varian Halcyon machine, results in precise image-guided radiation therapy by reducing motion artifacts and allowing for adaptive re-planning which minimal impact on patient treatments.
“We look at advancements like tattoo less treatments, AI driven contouring, and our own electronic patient management system,” Sashwin explains. “It’s about making the patient’s journey less stressful and more efficient.”
Founded in 1999 as a small oncology practice in Overport, Durban, Hopelands has grown into the largest oncology practice in KZN and the third largest in South Africa – with 13 oncologists, 100 staff and eight centres across the province.
A financial partner for growth
Ambitious expansion, including becoming one of the country’s largest operators of radiotherapy units, requires significant capital. A single radiotherapy machine can cost R60 million, a major investment for a non listed company.
Three years ago, Hopelands began working with Standard Bank. The partnership has since supported four major projects.
“They understood our business need rather than just looking at the value of the transaction,” says Sashwin. He points to relationship manager Jashan Naidoo as a central contact who bridges the gap between the client and the bank’s various departments. “We can rely on him, and he gets back to us within minutes. That responsiveness is valuable.”
He also appreciates improvements in the bank’s Business Online platform as a sign of a culture that listens to client feedback.
What’s next
Hopelands now plans to expand into other provinces, with the goal of providing more access to patients to the latest cutting edge technology in the coming year. Each new project is evaluated not only on financial feasibility, but on whether it meets a genuine patient need for the area and aligns with the organisation’s values.
“As with any new business venture, we need to be prudent and do the necessary due diligence,” Sashwin says. “We first ask: is there a need? Can we align our cultures and visions with our business partners? Will the patients benefit from this venture? If we answer yes to all of those questions, we will have confidence that the venture will be successful. Our measurement of success is not based purely on the numbers, first and foremost is whether we can make a difference for patients by providing easier access to treatment and by making the patient journey simpler.”
This World Health Day, under the theme ‘Together for health. Stand with science,’ Hopelands Cancer Centre shows what that looks like in practice: clinical innovation, patient-centered care and a partnership built for the long term.