The Straits Times Times: Saturday October 31, 2009
Patient care services as a niche market
One-day, one-stop, one-centre concept to woo medical tourism dollars
By CHEN HUIFEN
COMPETITION for the medical tourism dollar may soon shift to the standard of patient care services, rather than on the competency of the doctors, according to one industry observer.
This is because Singapore doctors are already highly regarded by foreign patients for their clinical competency, and it is generally difficult to draw stark distinctions in their clinical practices within the same specialty.
"I think international patients have an understanding that if you are a doctor from Singapore, you must be good because of the high standards demanded by the healthcare system here,'"said June Yang, COO of the new Singapore Medical Specialists Centre. "So healthcare players have to work harder beyond getting good doctors on board."
This explains why her group is focusing on services as a niche. Set up with an initial cost of $5-6 million, the Singapore Medical Specialists Centre touts itself as a 'one-day, one-stop, one-centre', capable of offering a complete health screening from head to toe within its 6,000 square foot centre in Paragon.
The concept is best illustrated through a real-life account. Ms Yang told of a Swiss businessman who touched down in Singapore at 7am on a weekday. He had arranged for a full health screening that started at 9am. By lunch time, he was out of the centre with all his health results and diagnostic reports in hand, with time to spare for meetings and leisure, even if he were to fly out on the same night that day.
"In between waiting for them, he could even do some work because we have wireless Internet, comfortable sofas in our lobby as well as a rest lounge with food and drinks," said Ms Yang.
The centre was inspired by CEO Wendy Huang's personal experiences with hospitals here. She observed that even at top institutions, patients have to be sent to various sites for X-Rays, ultrasound and other tests. Sometimes, patients have to wait for days to obtain their medical reports. The numerous points of contact and the multiple trips required make it very inconvenient for patients who are less mobile.
"We are targeting people with little time to spare, especially medical travellers," Ms Huang said. "We are also eyeing visitors to the integrated resorts when they are up next year. They can swing by for a few hours for a health screening during their trip - have peace of mind and have a good time in Singapore."
Backed by a group of Indonesian investors, the Singapore Medical Specialists Centre is fronted by cardiologists Michael Lim and Lim Ing Haan, ear, nose and throat surgeon Lim Ing Ruen, obstetrician and gynaecologist Suresh Nair, general surgeon Heah Sieu Min and internal medicine physician Chong Yeh Woei. It has also roped in radiologists Ng Luan Sing, Chang Sew Kee and Teo Ngee.
For patients with a condition that is not served by its in-house specialists, the group will refer them to a relevant specialist on its panel. An unoccupied consultation room is set aside for such specialists to hold consultations within the premises.
The centre is equipped with a 128-slice CT scanner, and a multitude of imaging systems including an X-ray, a mammogram, an echocardiogram, and an ultrasound machines. Screening packages range from $390 for a stroke assessment to $2,000 for a heart, stroke and cancer assessment.
Although it has only been a few months since the group started operations, the centre now sees an average of 100-150 patients a month, mostly from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam. But it is not immune to the economic downturn, admitted Ms Huang. Having starting operations a few months ago, right in the middle of the economic downturn, patient volume at one time had fallen 30 per cent.
"But things have picked up," she said. "And we expect to be busy during the November-December period because of higher visitor arrivals during the holiday season."
The group plans to take in more specialists as the practice expands. But it will not stop focusing on fine-tuning its patient care services.
"Singapore wants to be a medical hub, but we can't make it if we have only good doctors and don't complement this with service delivery," said Ms Yang. "And in services, there is still much room to improve."