MEDICAL
THOMAS MASTERSON HEALTHCARE PIONEER OF THE YEAR IN ASIA-PACIFIC
DATO ’ DR JACOB THOMAS
Dato ’ Dr Jacob Thomas is the deserving winner of the Thomas Masterson Healthcare Pioneer of the Year in Asia-Pacific , a new award that aims to recognise the achievements of leading healthcare experts while honouring the memory of Thomas Masterson , the late founder of Global Health Asia- Pacific magazine .
Dr Jacob is a well-known and prominent healthcare leader who has been serving for many years in various capacities in both the Malaysian public and private healthcare sectors .
He firstly practised as a medical officer at the Casualty and Outpatient Departments at General Hospital , Klang . After a few years , the Ministry of Defence asked him to serve as a medical officer in the Malaysian Armed Forces . During his army service , he was required to be in active duty in “ hot areas ” ( which were remote locations where operations were being carried out against communist guerillas ). For his contributions to the Armed Forces and country during this difficult period in the history of Malaysia , he was conferred the prestigious Pingat Jasa Negara ( PJN ), or the National Bravery Award .
In 1985 , a life-changing year for Dr Jacob , he decided to leave government service and enter the private healthcare sector , setting himself on a successful career path . He started off as a medical officer at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre ( SJMC ), a hospital that had just opened back then .
It took no time for his bosses to recognise Dr Jacob ’ s good management skills and his ability to interact with
Dato ’ Dr Jacob Thomas
staff at all levels . As a result , he was promoted year after year culminating in 1998 , when Sime Darby appointed him as the first Malaysian Executive Director of Subang Jaya Medical Centre .
He has also served as a Board Member of the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia ( APHM ) for over 20 years from 1997 until 2018 . The last 10 years of that term was as the President . In this role , Dr Jacob worked very hard to improve the image of the private healthcare sector in Malaysia .
From 1998 , he worked tirelessly interacting with the Ministry of Health , MATRADE , Tourism Malaysia , and the private hospitals in promoting
Malaysian healthcare abroad . He led numerous promotional visits to countries in the region “ shouting out ” about the high quality and yet affordable healthcare services available in Malaysian hospitals . His efforts were also largely responsible for the eventual formation in 2009 of the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council ( MHTC ), the government agency that promotes the country ’ s medical tourism sector .
Recognising his leadership in healthcare in the region and globally , Dr Jacob was invited by the Joint Commission International ( JCI ), an international hospital accreditation body based in the USA , to be a board member . In 2020 he took over as the Chairman of the board . A prestgious post he held for two years till 2022 .
Dr Jacob continues to serve as the Group Medical Advisor for Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care .
On receiving the Thomas Masterson Healthcare Pioneer of the Year in Asia- Pacific award , he told Global Health Asia-Pacific : “ I hope this award will inspire many more to come forward to take part in healthcare activities in the region and in medical tourism .”
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