Union Medical Healthcare : A Caring Profession
Having expanded its services, Union Medical Healthcare is focusing on what matters – looking after the wellbeing of its clients.
How New Zealand Responded to COVID-19 : An Analysis
Four months after a strict lockdown, New Zealand is being held up as a shining example of success after COVID-19. We examine why New Zealand's coronavirus response was so effective.
Vision Eye Institute : Staying 20/20 in 2020
Vision Eye Institute is at the leading edge of ophthalmology, helping to maintain people’s eyesight with its team of expert clinicians, innovative technologies and sizeable footprint across the eastern seaboard of Australia.
Mediguide International : Improving Outcomes
MediGuide is removing the geographical limitations of healthcare, its global network of partners and employees helping to bring on-demand diagnoses to patients in 152 countries around the world.
Anytime Fitness Asia : From Fitness to Wellness
Though trends were formerly led by practitioners in fitness, the gym industry is becoming led by the consumer. Rey Bolivar, CEO of Anytime Fitness Asia, talks to us about the next decade of fitness and wellness.
Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz
Better, Faster, FriendlierBy embracing new technologies and patient-centricity, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz is helping to uphold the best-in-class reputation of Malaysia’s world-renowned healthcare industry Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Callam Waller Developing and developed economies. From political studies to annual economic outlooks, these two terms have come to separate the nations of our planet into two broad categories – but what are their differences and where is the line drawn?Indeed, there is no universally accepted definition for either, the World Trade Organization allowing its members to define their own status on this theoretical spectrum. But there are a number of commonly recognised traits.The Business Development Bank of Canada, for example, cites developed countries as those which have mature and sophisticated economies, advanced technological infrastructure, diverse industrial and service sectors, and access to quality healthcare and education.However, with such a vast multitude of factors of play, it’s rare to find case studies written in black and write, and ambiguity or debate can be common.Take a look at Malaysia, for instance. It’s a nation defined as developing, yet its diversified economy houses robust manufacturing and service sectors, now standing as one of the world’s most open economies and a leading exporter of electronic goods and components.Socially, Malaysia has made great strides too. Less than one percent of Malaysian households currently live in extreme poverty and its education structure is on par with that of many western nations, comprising 11 years of compulsory schooling (six years primary and five years secondary).And that’s before we even get to the country’s…
FV Hospital
Provision with PrideFV Hospital proudly stands as a standard-bearer for Vietnam’s private medical sector, its French founder never looking back having relocated and discovered a love for the nation Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Callam Waller “I always wanted to be a doctor. Apparently at the age of five or six I already told everyone of this plan, which is strange as there was nobody in the family that belonged to this profession.”While Frenchman Jean-Marcel Guillon was destined to pursue a career in healthcare, he was by no means expecting to be standing here today as the CEO of a private hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.Trained in Paris and practicing as a pulmonologist and internist, a senior consultant, his expertise took him to Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War, spending a further two years in Brunei before returning to his home country. Guillon had, however, picked up the travel bug that would never leave him.But how did he emerge as the boss of FV Hospital? It is the result of a remarkable series of events, beginning with a somewhat chance encounter.“My ex-girlfriend told me that a childhood friend of her current boyfriend was part of a group of people led by an architect who wanted to set up a hospital in Vietnam,” Guillon recalls. “I met with him and a couple of his partners and didn’t like them. There was also a group of doctors loosely connected to the project and with near zero experience, so I wasn’t impressed.”With Vietnam not even on his radar,…
Columbia Asia Group of Companies
Passion for PeopleColumbia Asia continues to provide efficient, affordable private healthcare services to patients across its 29 hospitals, the backbone of its operation being a team of impassioned, empowered people Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Callam Waller Demand for healthcare services across Asia is set to reach $2.66 trillion by 2020.Growing and ageing populations, pioneering technologies and new treatments are all contributing to the growing tide of people who can and are being treated by public and private institutions.The ability to identify and treat so many illnesses is arguably one of humankind’s greatest achievements, one that has required enduring ingenuity, patience and willpower over the course of civilisations.But the current tide is growing to a point where health systems are beginning to buckle.“The growing demand for good, effective and efficient private healthcare continues to exceed supply,” observes Kelvin Tan, CEO for Malaysia and Vietnam at Columbia Asia. “Populations are growing and getting older, and this is combined with increasing reports of non-communicable diseases which require long-term care.“Most private healthcare facilities tend to emulate the public healthcare model. Large in structure, cumbersome in delivery, high cost in maintenance and excessive manpower structures driven by many manual and time-consuming processes.“The escalating cost of healthcare worldwide demands a more efficient delivery system that minimises excesses and cuts back on wastage.”Columbia Asia is unlike most private healthcare providers.Having commenced operations in 1997, the group now runs 29 hospitals across the region, with 13 in Malaysia and the others located in Indonesia, Vietnam and India.Its facilities provide comprehensive medical services such…
Aikchol Hospital
At the Heart of HealthcareAikchol Hospital, an organisation driven to apply international medical expertise on a local level, is proof that Thailand’s private hospitals are broadening access to critical healthcare services across the country Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Callam Waller “I’m an interior designer by trade. After I finished my undergraduate degree I studied in New York as a lighting designer for my masters and ended up staying there, working in the field for a further six years until 2013.”Six years on, Siriphot Manoch – the voice behind the opening quote – now works on the other side of the world in an entirely different field as the Director of Business Development at one of Thailand’s leading private healthcare companies, Aikchol Hospital.So how does such a sharp career and lifestyle combined U-turn come about? An interesting question, but one that can be answered in just three syllables – family.“Aikchol Hospital was founded by my grandfather Dr Aikapojana Vanich and his friends, while my mother is the current CEO,” Manoch reveals.“When I moved back to Thailand, my mother was attempting to secure JCI accreditation for Aikchol Hospital, the first of Aikchol’s two hospitals, and I came on board to help manage the facilities’ development because of my background in interior design.“It’s how I became first involved in the healthcare sector. I’d initially planned on working on a consultancy basis, but it quickly became clear this was a full-time job. And honestly, even after we secured the accreditation, I haven’t looked back since.”Today, the Business Development Director has almost…
Sunfert International
Fertility Services Reborn Sunfert International is stepping up to fulfil the growing need for affordable treatment by expanding its network of state-of-the-art clinics across Malaysia Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Callam Waller By 2026, the global demand for in-vitro fertilisation is expected to be worth $36.2 billion. Projected to grow at a rate of 10.2 percent a year, the IVF market is being driven by numerous factors. These include the increasing incidence of infertility owing to lifestyle changes, government initiatives to provide better reimbursement policies, and efforts by industry contributors to open up access to such services. In Malaysia, the need for affordable IVF and other fertility services is rising. “Fertility treatment in Malaysia is largely unfunded,” explains Dr Wong Pak Seng, Founder and Managing Director of fertility clinic operator Sunfert International. “Though there are some allocations for free treatment in some government hospitals, this funding is erratic. Hence, the fertility services are predominantly in the private practice. “There are about 40 fertility centres in Malaysia, mostly small centres scattered predominantly throughout the larger cities in the peninsular. As treatment is expensive, most couples who require treatment cannot afford it. There is a definite need for affordable fertility services in the country.” This is where his company Sunfert International comes in. “Having worked in and visited several clinics both locally and overseas, I felt that there was a need for a patient-orientated fertility centre, offering value and good outcomes,” Pak Seng continues. “We were also able to draw on the expertise of our international partners, New Zealand’s…
