Gleneagles wooing back our talents from abroad
Published on: Thursday, April 16, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The State's contribution to medical tourism will get a further boost with the soon-to-open eight-storey Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu Hospital, a stone's throw from the city centre.It has 15 resident consultants and 10 sessional/visiting consultants. "We are still negotiating with doctors. Besides local talents, we are bringing back doctors from the UK, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to serve here. And nurses are coming back from Saudi Arabia. "We are also providing a lot of jobs for the local people by employing a majority of Sabahans to work in the hospital. We have more than 200 people here ready to serve but waiting for the licence to operate from the Health Ministry," said Chief Executive Officer, Jean Francois Naa.
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Aiming to be the new referral centre in East Malaysia, it also targets international patients from Indonesia, the Philippines, Negara Brunei, Korea and Japan seeking quality and reliable medical care.The hospital is a branch of Pantai Medical Centre Sdn Bhd under Parkway Pantai Limited (PPL), the second largest private healthcare provider in Malaysia, with over 2,000 beds across a network of 12 multi-disciplinary hospitals under the "Pantai" and "Gleneagles" brands.It is strategically located along the coastal highway of Kota Kinabalu, less than 10km from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).In a media briefing, Wednesday, Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu said it would not only cater to the healthcare needs of city folk and its surrounding areas, but go beyond that by developing medical tourism.
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"We will start operation with 70 beds, and between 20 to 30 doctors at the beginning," said Naa.Kota Kinabalu is a fantastic tourist destination, and consider the international standard of healthcare that Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu offers.
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"In line with our vision to be the leading international healthcare provider in Sabah, and also with our mission to deliver safe and quality healthcare through a dedicated team of professionals, Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu strives to provide excellent healthcare quality, service and patient safety."In terms of pricing, we want to be competitive. Our room rates are reasonable and we offer better services," he said.Naa stressed that patient safety and comfort, as well as customer focus are the top priority of the hospital, adding that other core values are compassion, learning culture to improve oneself, professionalism and teamwork.He assured that Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu is on par with hospitals in Singapore from the perspectives of talented and dedicated health professionals, quality healthcare, good services and safety for patients."True to our tagline of 'In the Arms of One Who Cares'".According to the CEO, the total capacity of the hospital would be 200 in-patient beds, 73 medical suites (for doctors), six top-notch operating theatres, 15 Intensive Care Units, seven Neonatal Intensive Care Units and six Labour & Delivery Suits. Key Clinical Services would include Cardiac Care, Digestive Health Care, Bone & Joint Care, Women & Children Care, and Urology Care.The disciplines (or medical specialties) that will be available are Anaesthesiology, Breast & Endocrine Surgery, Cardiology/Interventional Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics & Trauma Surgery, Paediatrics & Paediatric Surgery, Radiology/Interventional Radiology, Spine Surgery, Urology (planned) and Vascular Surgery.In a guided tour, dubbed Hospital Walkabout With Press, journalists and photographers took a peek into the hospital's state-of-the-art equipment, technology and services such as Radiology & Imaging Service (CT Scanner, MRI Scanner, Interventional Cardiovascular X-Ray System, Digital Mammography System, Fluoroscopy and Bone Densitometry System); Health Screening Service, 24-Hour Ambulance Service, Dialysis Centre, Clinical Laboratory Services, and Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Services.What is unique about the 24-Hour Accident & Emergency Department is its layout whereby patients from the ambulance can be taken immediately to the adjacent Radiology Department or sent to the operating theatre (OT) or intensive care unit (ICU) via a lift dedicated to the purpose.By virtue of the hospital's working relationship with First Ambulance, its ambulances are equipped with state-of-the-art pre-hospital medical equipment similar to those in the hospital ICU. "This ambulance operation is the first of its kind in Sabah. First Ambulance is a premier Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provider to provide up-to-date, professional and ethical services not only in KK but throughout the whole of Sabah even bringing patients from as far as Sandakan or Tawau," said Naa.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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