SINGAPORE — ParkwayHealth recently launched 34 fixed price all-in-one packages covering key specialties in a bid to help patients who are tightening their belts amidst the financial crisis.
The packages are priced almost 30 percent lower than the previous rates for the most common procedures in the areas of cardiology, ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgery, gastroenterology, general surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, and urology. The fixed-priced packages include all costs relating to in-patient care such as hospitalization, nursing care, facility charges and doctor’s fees.
Dr. Lim Cheok Peng, executive vice chairman, managing director, group president and CEO of Parkway Holdings Ltd. explained that the innovative fixed-price packages will encourage local and foreign patients to schedule their much-needed surgery even during tough times.
“The beginning of 2009 has been a very challenging year because of the financial meltdown. With our fixed-price packages, we hope to bring some cheer to those who are in need of medical attention. We at ParkwayHealth are committed to give more to our patients, especially in these trying times,” he said during a press conference in Parkway’s Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore.
“If you go to America for a liver transplant, you may have to spend more than US$1 million. If you come to Parkway today, you pay less than S$500,000. There is a price differential in coming to Singapore for the same quality care and the same type of service,” he added.
The fixed-price packages are available to patients who, apart from their intended surgical procedures, are generally fit and healthy (without any complications). Patients will be advised of the cost of the package before surgical arrangements are made.
“Parkway never compromises when it comes to healthcare delivery. We will continue to review and ensure that our pricing remains competitive as we enter into global pricing for surgical procedures. We will continue to ensure that facilities are available and medical technologies are updated to treat patients. Affordability is also very important. We hope to drive down costs across our system,” he said.
Kamaljeet Singh Gill, chief marketing officer, Parkway’s Global Corporate Marketing, for his part, explained that Filipino patients come to ParkwayHealth hospitals in Singapore for specific procedures in oncology and gastroenterology, liver and kidney transplants, and in vitro fertilization.
“The Filipinos come to Singapore or ParkwayHealth for specific procedures. The healthcare in the Philippines is pretty advanced. However, there is a specific segment of the market where the patients want privacy and they would come to Singapore mainly because of the state-of-the-art procedures,” he said.
“The competitive advantage of coming to ParkwayHealth is that we are seamless. We provide personalized care. We have no waiting time. We continue to reinvent the wheel all the time and Parkway continues to invest heavily in technology. Our doctors are all at consultant levels and above, and we have wonderful nursing care, as well,” he added.
ParkwayHealth is one of Asia’s longest healthcare providers with an extensive network of hospitals and integrated healthcare facilities. In Singapore, ParkwayHealth operates three hospitals: East Shore Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Hospital; and several medical centers. ParkwayHealth also operates more than 43 ParkwayHealth patients assistance centers (PPAC) worldwide to extend healthcare services to patients overseas. These centers are located in Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arabs Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam. The PPAC services international patients with medical appointments and referrals, hospitalization assistance, hotel accommodation, transportation arrangements and other travel-related assistance to and from Singapore.
In 2007, more than 410,000 international patients have come to Singapore for a whole range of healthcare services. From this number, 60 percent were treated in ParkwayHealth hospitals.
Gill further said ParkwayHealth will continue to strengthen its services in a bid to better serve patients across the globe. “We are going up to the drawing board continuously and this is how we stay at the forefront of competition. We will try to implement as many innovative procedures as much as possible so that the patients will continue to go to ParkwayHealth for their treatment.”
(The ParkwayHealth patient assistance center in Manila may be reached through telephone number 63 2 751 8225, email Yvonne@parkway.com.ph and website www.ppac.sg.)