Singapore Diary. Part 4: ParkwayHealth and National Healthcare Group

Continued from Part 3: Press briefing and Alexandra Hospital

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I can't say I adjusted to Singapore time but I did fall into a bit of a routine, swimming at 7 am when the rooftop pool opened, having breakfast at the hotel, then visiting hospitals till lunch time and again afterwards.

I joined the majority of the press group for a briefing at Gleneagles Hospital, part of the private ParkwayHealth Group. This was an impressive, high-end place and they lined up a number of speakers and a tour. We heard from one of the doctors in the liver unit about their living donor transplant program. (I have to say it reminded me a bit of the Monty Python sketch, "Can we have your liver?" The only difference here is the answer seems to be yes, as long as you only want half.) Then we heard from a head of the oncology unit, but unfortunately I had to go halfway through his speech in order to meet Parkway's COO, Dan Snyder at Mt. Elizabeth Hospital, which --like most things in Singapore-- was only a few minutes away. As an aside, I was struck by the lack of traffic in Singapore. Compared with other Asian cities (or American or European ones for that matter) traffic was light. I think it's due to the heavy taxation on cars and excellent public transportation.

Dan's office is hidden away in Mt. Elizabeth's and it took us a while to find it. He shared his background (ex-Navy, Banner Health, Intermountain Health) and his thoughts on the excellence and efficiency of Singapore and his confidence in the rise of Asia in general. Private equity firm Texas Pacific Group controls Parkway, which means there is a high expectation for performance. Parkway mainly seems focused on opening new hospitals around Asia, not in attracting medical travelers. Interestingly, Dan expressed only mild enthusiasm for American medical travelers, seeming to fear they'd bring their litigiousness with them. You can hear my interview with Dan here.

We joined back up with the group at Gleneagles and headed for lunch, this time at a restaurant at the Hilton Hotel, which I was told by our guide is the air-conditioned, sit-down version of Singapore's famous Hawker food centers. The good news, I guess, is that I can't die yet, since while in Singapore I skipped the two things you're supposed to do before dying: visiting the hawkers and having a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel.

After lunch we went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, part of the National Healthcare Group, which is one of the two "restructured" public hospital chains. Basically it's government controlled but run like a private enterprise. We were met by the slightly over-the-top Gil Kamaljeet Singh, whose enthusiasm was infectious. I really enjoyed his talk, which I've posted here. We had a tour of the hospital, too, and it was impressively laid out. Gill clearly is focused on the international market and was proud of inroads he's made in North America and Europe. Gill laid out his view of what's needed to serve the medical tourism market: 1) Clinical outcomes, 2) International accreditation, 3) Competitive pricing, and 4) PEST factors --political, economic, social and technology. NHG is a group to keep your eye on.

After a brief time back at the hotel it was time to head out again. This time we went to the Singapore Night Safari. First we had dinner there (of course) and then went on a tram ride to see a variety of nocturnal animals. It was definitely the Singapore version of a Safari: zipping along from one species to the next in rapid succession, with stern warnings from the tour guide not to use the flash. (I think she was a little bit annoyed when 3 or flashes went off even after people had been warned. It ain't Disney, foks.) The park was nicely done overall. On the way there I noticed some graphic signs on a fence surrounding what must have been a military installation. The signs are red and show an intruder with his hands up, a rifle pointed at his chest. I guess this is the Singapore version of "trespassers will be shot." Anyway it would be hard to plead ignorance.

I didn't mind that we headed back to the hotel instead of staying late for the animal show.

See Part 5: TP Dental, KK Women's and Children's and Sentosa