The inception of HSC Healthcare Group began with the opening of HSC Medical Centre, in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, and since day one it has been committed to medical excellence and world-class one-stop healthcare delivery.
FROM LOCAL TO REGIONAL
With the success of its flagship medical centre as a springboard, HSC has widened its vision to pursue health and wellness beyond clinical care, and today it is an internationally respected healthcare Group with operations which span the entire wellness chain; from medical centres, to its own brand of health supplement, mobile health application, and an aesthetic centre.
At present with three growing businesses and three new businesses in the pipeline for development – all of which will come into fruition this year – it is a very exciting time for the Group.
The Group Chief Executive Officer at HSC Healthcare, Derrick Chan, discusses the success and ever-widening vision of the Group and its commitment to being the best healthcare provider in the industry.
Q&A WITH DERRICK CHAN, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HSC HEALTHCARE
With regards to the expansion of the Group, how has its core specialities and departments diversified over the years?
Derrick Chan (DC): We are expanding our operations in terms of scope and geographically but it all goes back to the focus on health and wellness as we position HSC as the region’s leading world-class healthcare provider.
Currently, we have HSC Medical Center Kuala Lumpur, our Group’s flagship and a pioneer in Malaysia specialising in heart, stroke and cancer; followed by HSC Integrative Medicine, our own labeled health supplement and MobileHealth2U that offers health monitoring mobile application on the go.
With that, along the pipeline, we will be opening the first Oracle Aesthetic Center in Malaysia, which is a member of Koracle Group, Asia’s leading aesthetic group with centre outlets throughout the region including South Korea, Japan, Russia, Mongolia and Hong Kong. Equally as exciting, we are also in the process of integrating TAGS Spine & Joint Specialists Group into HSC Healthcare Group, which is one of the nation’s best chiropractic groups currently with 14 outlets in Malaysia. Finally, we are working closely in partnership with a group of leading Singapore doctors to set up our most anticipated project in 2017; the Farrer Square Medical Centre as one of Singapore’s leading day-care surgery and multi-disciplinary healthcare delivery services.
In terms of the logistics of HSC Healthcare Group, what specific advantages does the Company enjoy, and what other key differentiators do you feel define your success?
DC: We have served an average of 15,000 patients annually from Malaysia and Southeast Asia to Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Middle East. As a matter of fact, we have largely contributed to Malaysia’s medical tourism industry with more than 60 percent of our patients being international.
In regards to our competitive advantages, we offer a PTCA day surgery format and we are one of the few medical centres in the world to offer ‘comprehensive’ health screening packages for heart, stroke and cancer. Up to date, we have successfully performed more than 10,000 non-invasive CT coronary angiograms. Appointed as a ‘Siemens Reference Centre’, we keep up-to-date with the latest world-class equipment and technology advancement used for healthcare delivery and with that, our team of doctors and specialists are internationally trained. It is also well worth mentioning that the HSC Japan Clinic is the first Japan clinic in Malaysia that is fully operated by native Japanese doctors, nurses and staff.
At present, what are the key areas of improvement that you are looking to implement into the Group?
DC: Currently we are expanding our scope towards multi-discipline healthcare delivery by bringing in more specialists to meet rapidly growing demands. And as I mentioned earlier, within this year, we will see three new additions to our Group; Oracle Malaysia as our aesthetic centre, TAGS Spine & Joint Specialists Group which specialises in spine and joint adjustment, and Farrer Square Medical Centre as our day-care surgery and multi-discipline centre in Singapore.
In regards to technology, with Napier to come online in early 2018, we are improving our hospital information system by moving from a local-area network to cloud-base in order to cater for the expansion of our operations across the border. With that, both of our medical centres in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will be linked by the same system seamlessly.
How much research and development goes into monitoring global trends and developments which can be replicated in the HSC Healthcare Group? To that end, what are the main healthcare trends that the Group has been monitoring at the moment and how are you striving to adhere to these?
DC: Catching up with the advancement of technology, our medical procedures will be less invasive with minimal downtime, speedy recovery and fewer complications. Continual innovation in minimally invasive procedures makes it beneficial for patients with a wide range of conditions.
Looking ahead, we are materialising a future trend that is in par with our direction to favour Centre of Excellence with specialised day procedures compared to huge multi-discipline hospital. We believe in providing a comprehensive one-stop healthcare delivery experience to our patients – local and international alike.
What are the biggest challenges that HSC Healthcare Group encounters and how is it looking to overcome these?
DC: One of the biggest challenges that we are facing is the unstable and unreliable economies as well as the weakening of the Malaysian Ringgit which has driven out our costs as we invest in imported medical devices for their high quality standards. However, by committing to delivering excellence, we have thrived through the support and trust of our patients and customers. With that, we are able to grow and expand amidst this period of gloomy economies.
Another factor is the competitive and saturated medical industry in Malaysia and the region. Nonetheless we only see competitiveness as a positive driving force for us to never compromise quality and to dedicate our best in delivering medical excellence and world-class healthcare delivery. I strongly believe that we are in the winning direction.
Looking forward, what would you hope and expect to be able to report back to Asia Outlook, in terms of progress and development of the Group, if we were to speak again in a year’s time or even further down the line?
DC: We would hope to see the establishment of both Oracle Malaysia Aesthetic Centre in Kuala Lumpur and Farrer Square Medical Centre in Singapore to come to fruition, as well as TAGS Spine & Joint Specialists Group becoming a member of HSC Healthcare Group.
