“In the 1960s and ‘70s, more and more specialised medical departments where being established within Dutch hospitals. In those days I worked for a company that sold medical instruments and equipment and I also took courses to gain professional expertise about the relevant specialties. An important part of my responsibilities consisted of providing advice about equipment and medical instruments that were needed to successfully establish such departments. I continued those activities abroad, increasingly shifting my focus from sales to giving advice. In the end I separated the entire consultancy aspect from the rest of the process, allowing me to continue in this area independently. This formed the basis for AMPC.  

 

Our philosophy is that we completely immerse ourselves in a project. And we also do not hesitate to question our customer if necessary. We often find that the client’s request is not actually the best solution for that specific situation. For instance, we once received a request from the government of a developing country to build 18 hospitals. After analysing the situation thoroughly, we came to the conclusion that building one large and advanced hospital would be much more effective. The client agreed and everyone was satisfied with the end result.  

 

I enjoy the fact that at the start of a project we do not know exactly what the end result will be. The best solution does not present itself until we get started. Also, I find it is interesting to see a lot of the world. And what we see is not at all superficial. We get to see what Africa is really like, what the people, the culture and customs are like, when we actually live and work there.  

 

Our ultimate goal is to make a success of what we designed during the first phase. A plan that is transformed into something that works is of course fantastic. It is also important that the solution is sustainable. This is why we are now reviewing 40 hospitals in Tanzania; the equipment, the way in which the departments work, the staff's expertise ... We were involved when these hospitals were first developed, now we are making sure that the medical care given there continues to be the best possible.  

 

I believe that our strength is based on a mixture of expertise, experience and personal attitude. But what is also important in our sector is that we continue to have an open mind with respect to the situation in which we find ourselves. Every situation merits a thorough analysis. There are always more factors at play in a country than you might expect at first sight. And that is exactly what makes it so exciting."