Malaysia’s private hospitals
These
transformations
are also bound
to affect medical
tourism. For
example,
crossing borders
in the quest for
high-quality and
cost-competitive
treatments
might remain
on ice for some
time even after
the emergency
dies down, but
it’s just a matter
of time before
medical tourism
takes off again.
40
MAY 2020
Within Sunway Healthcare, which is undergoing
a nationwide expansion, the pandemic has delayed
some projects, though these will resume once the
situation is more favourable.
Though the hospital is still seeing a steady number
of Malaysian patients, those from overseas have
declined dramatically.
“It’s not just Sunway, it’s the entire tourism
ecosystem, along with airlines, hotels, tourist
attractions, F&B, and essential and non-essential
businesses that are impacted by the pandemic.
“Health tourism, unfortunately, received a direct
hit from this outbreak, as countries adopted travel
and flight restrictions to limit the inflow and outflow of
tourists to contain the spread of the virus. COVID-19
is a global crisis that doesn’t recognise national
boundaries,” he said.
As a way to get around some of the physical
restrictions, Sunway Healthcare has rolled out tele-
consultations to ease disruption for follow-up patients.
It has also launched the digital appointment platform
for new patients who might require a second opinion.
“Our team works hard to come up with innovative
solutions and not to let geographic boundaries limit
our ability to reach out and support our patients,” Lau
added.
Being in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Petaling
Jaya, one of the health ministry’s national COVID-19
hotspots, Thomson Hospital is taking rigorous
measures to allow people in while keeping the virus
out.
It assumes that anybody who enters the premises
could be infected until proven otherwise by screening
checkpoints at each entrance.
“Early on, hospitals had been instructed to
implement screening and restrict entry to visitors to
control the number of people in the hospital,” said
Thomson’s chief executive, Wan.
“All staff, doctors, and visitors are screened, and
anybody who shows any symptoms or declares any
travel history or contact with positive cases or clusters
are immediately referred for further screening.
“All patients who are admitted into our hospital
must undergo COVID-19 screening. However, since
the swab tests can take more than 24 hours to
process, these patients are admitted into an isolated
ward until they’re cleared. All staff wear full personal
protective equipment when dealing with patients
whose COVID-19 status is unknown.
“To date, although we’ve detected more than 30
cases of COVID-19 positive patients in Thomson
Hospital, we’ve not had any cases spreading to other
visitors, doctors, or staff,” Wan added.
Like SunMed, Thomson has seen a dramatic
drop in medical tourism arrivals and expects this
to continue at least for the next few months. Only
once the outlook becomes clear will it resume its
international market-building. In the meantime,
“we’re constantly engaging with our international
partners to provide information on our treatment
protocols and recommendations during this time,”
said Wan.
With the cancellation of elective procedures
and the need for additional screening, as well as
movement restrictions, there’s a lot less activity at the
hospital.
This realisation prompted Thomson to set up its
own COVID-19 task force consisting of doctors from
a number of disciplines to devise workflows and
plans for every eventuality during the course of the
pandemic.
For example, after reviewing international studies
and consulting with experts, the hospital decided
that it would continue offering fertility treatments but
with caveats. While egg pick-ups could go ahead,
Thomson recommended that embryos be frozen and
transferred only after the pandemic subsided, as
pregnancy during an outbreak might be an issue.
“We aim to keep to international best practices
during this uncertain time,” Wan added.
There’s no doubt already that the coronavirus
pandemic will have lasting consequences for
healthcare providers in Malaysia who are determined
to make a full return to normal business as soon as the
outbreak is under control.
COVID-19 will not be the only pathogen we see
unleashed, and with the experience gained from
fighting it, hospitals and health systems will be much
better prepared, particularly in areas of screening and
infection control.
SunMed’s Lau also agrees that a transformation of
the fundamentals of healthcare and how patients seek
treatment in the future is in the cards.
“The pandemic has taught us a great deal about
coping with sudden crises. From public health
to private healthcare delivery, the pandemic has
redefined human interactions, infection control, and
treatment delivery.
“We’re seeing a surge of online activities, even
before movement was first restricted. We’re also
seeing the formation of new behaviours and new
habits which will directly affect healthcare and the
business landscape,” he said.
These transformations are also bound to affect
medical tourism. For example, crossing borders in the
quest for high-quality and cost-competitive treatments
might remain on ice for some time even after the
emergency dies down, but it’s just a matter of time
before medical tourism takes off again.
“The trust that foreign patients have built in
SunMed, especially in our doctors and facilities, has
been unwavering. Our international patient care team
still continues to receive enquiries despite the travel
ban. To maintain this trust and continuity of care,
SunMed must innovate and adapt to new ways of
providing treatment to patients,” Lau said.
“But certainly, I don’t think that it will fully
revert back to the way we were. The outbreak has
fundamentally changed the way we’re likely to interact
in the future.” n
GlobalHealthAndTravel.com