A center of medical excellence in Brunei
Gleneagles JPMC is a private specialist hospital in Brunei, established in 2002 as a joint venture between the Parkway Pantai group of companies and the Government of Brunei Darussalam. Inside investor talked to CEO Dr. Peter Tay about the latest developments.
Q: Gleneagles has experienced rising patient numbers in the past. What is the reason?
A: There are mainly three reasons. Firstly, there is an increase in the number of people suffering from cardiac and coronary diseases in the country due to rising problems of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus and related health issues. Secondly, the initial patient numbers were a little bit underrepresented before we came on board as the prime cardiac center in Brunei – for the simple reason that such treatments were not available here. Also, there is now increased awareness among doctors and patients as to the presentation and treatment of coronary disease. This translates to more people undergoing cardiac screening and increased referrals to our center. Thirdly, it’s technology and the way coronary diseases are managed today, for example, unlike 10 years ago, primary revascularisation is the treatment of choice patients suffering heart attacks.
Q: What are you doing to raise awareness among young people towards coronary diseases?
A: We try to partner with the ministry of health as far as possible, taking part in public events such as the World Heart Day, the World Cancer Day and the like. With these kinds of activities as well as our own events such as exhibitions and participation in fairs, both in Brunei and in the region, we hope to increase awareness of heart disease and its prevention. We find that conducting simple screening sessions during these events helps.
Q: What is your relationship with the Brunei government?
A: I believe we had, and continue to have, a win-win-situation. Back in 2002, the Brunei government was looking at establishing a cardiac center in Brunei, because of the increasing numbers of patients that were sent overseas to Kuala Lumpur or to Singapore for cardiac treatment.. At the same time, Gleneagles International was also looking to expand in the region, so we partnered with the Brunei government. 10 years down the road, we now have a fully functional world-class tertiary cardiac center. We employ over 120 staff, over 60 per cent of whom are Bruneians.
Q: How do you manage quality in your centre?
A: We follow internationally accepted, evidence-based clinical protocols for the management of our patients such as appropriateness and risk scoring and assessment. We also conduct regular meetings with cardiology specialists in RIPAS Hospital on a weekly basis to discuss each of our cases in order to reach consensus as to the most appropriate modality of treatment. Finally, we subject ourselves to external audits. All cardiac intervention and surgical cases are reviewed and audited on a yearly basis by invited interventionists or surgeons of international repute. The results of these audits indicate that our treatment modalities are appropriate and that our clinical outcomes are comparable to that experienced in cardiac centers world-wide.
Q: Where are your staff being trained?
A: We have sponsored two local Bruneians for training leading to a Diploma in Nursing at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD). 4 other local nurses have also been sent for further training in critical care and cardiac nursing in Singapore or Malaysia. We also sponsor our staff, whether they are doctors, nurses or paramedical staff, to attend conferences and workshops overseas: However, for cost reasons, we try to send our staff to the nearest center of excellence. In addition, we organize yearly cardiology conferences ourselves where participants are professionals from Brunei and the region. Speakers at these conferences are internationally recognised specialists
Q: Do you feel healthcare is a sector that can be expanded given the prime minister’s initiatives to diversify the economy?
A: I believe that the ingredients are already in place. In recent years, partnerships similar to ours have been set up by the government and we have witnessed the establishment of the Neuroscience Stroke and Rehabilitation Center (NSRC) and recently, the Brunei Cancer Centre (TBCC). Once these are developed into centres of excellence, utilizing state-of-the-art technology, manned by competent and skilled professionals, adopting evidence-based protocols, forming partnerships or tie-ups with internationally renowned institutions and have attained international accreditation (e.g. JCI), the primary critical success factor of quality and patient safety, is already taken care of. Other areas that should also be looked into are attracting visitors to Brunei, such as developing Brunei into a bustling business hub, the possibility of introducing a “silver-haired” scheme for retirees or developing Brunei as a tourist destination in its own right. Improving connectivity with the region is also very important and, last but not the least, competitive pricing in healthcare treatment. Besides the treatment of cardiac, neurological diseases and cancers, other niche areas that may be considered for further development include restorative dentistry, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Q: What is your main message to our readers?
A: That Gleneagles JPMC, a member of the Parkway Pantai group of hospitals, is a center of excellence for cardiovascular diseases.
[caption id="attachment_7049" align="alignleft" width="204"] Dr Peter Tay, CEO Gleneagles JPMC Brunei, with Sara Garcia Arjona, Senior Accounts Executive, Inside Investor (left), and Chase Anderson, Business Development Manager, Inside Investor (right).[/caption] Gleneagles JPMC is a private specialist hospital in Brunei, established in 2002 as a joint venture between the Parkway Pantai group of companies and the Government of Brunei Darussalam. Inside investor talked to CEO Dr. Peter Tay about the latest developments. Q: Gleneagles has experienced rising patient numbers in the past. What is the reason? A: There are mainly three reasons. Firstly, there is an increase in the number of...
Gleneagles JPMC is a private specialist hospital in Brunei, established in 2002 as a joint venture between the Parkway Pantai group of companies and the Government of Brunei Darussalam. Inside investor talked to CEO Dr. Peter Tay about the latest developments.
Q: Gleneagles has experienced rising patient numbers in the past. What is the reason?
A: There are mainly three reasons. Firstly, there is an increase in the number of people suffering from cardiac and coronary diseases in the country due to rising problems of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus and related health issues. Secondly, the initial patient numbers were a little bit underrepresented before we came on board as the prime cardiac center in Brunei – for the simple reason that such treatments were not available here. Also, there is now increased awareness among doctors and patients as to the presentation and treatment of coronary disease. This translates to more people undergoing cardiac screening and increased referrals to our center. Thirdly, it’s technology and the way coronary diseases are managed today, for example, unlike 10 years ago, primary revascularisation is the treatment of choice patients suffering heart attacks.
Q: What are you doing to raise awareness among young people towards coronary diseases?
A: We try to partner with the ministry of health as far as possible, taking part in public events such as the World Heart Day, the World Cancer Day and the like. With these kinds of activities as well as our own events such as exhibitions and participation in fairs, both in Brunei and in the region, we hope to increase awareness of heart disease and its prevention. We find that conducting simple screening sessions during these events helps.
Q: What is your relationship with the Brunei government?
A: I believe we had, and continue to have, a win-win-situation. Back in 2002, the Brunei government was looking at establishing a cardiac center in Brunei, because of the increasing numbers of patients that were sent overseas to Kuala Lumpur or to Singapore for cardiac treatment.. At the same time, Gleneagles International was also looking to expand in the region, so we partnered with the Brunei government. 10 years down the road, we now have a fully functional world-class tertiary cardiac center. We employ over 120 staff, over 60 per cent of whom are Bruneians.
Q: How do you manage quality in your centre?
A: We follow internationally accepted, evidence-based clinical protocols for the management of our patients such as appropriateness and risk scoring and assessment. We also conduct regular meetings with cardiology specialists in RIPAS Hospital on a weekly basis to discuss each of our cases in order to reach consensus as to the most appropriate modality of treatment. Finally, we subject ourselves to external audits. All cardiac intervention and surgical cases are reviewed and audited on a yearly basis by invited interventionists or surgeons of international repute. The results of these audits indicate that our treatment modalities are appropriate and that our clinical outcomes are comparable to that experienced in cardiac centers world-wide.
Q: Where are your staff being trained?
A: We have sponsored two local Bruneians for training leading to a Diploma in Nursing at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD). 4 other local nurses have also been sent for further training in critical care and cardiac nursing in Singapore or Malaysia. We also sponsor our staff, whether they are doctors, nurses or paramedical staff, to attend conferences and workshops overseas: However, for cost reasons, we try to send our staff to the nearest center of excellence. In addition, we organize yearly cardiology conferences ourselves where participants are professionals from Brunei and the region. Speakers at these conferences are internationally recognised specialists
Q: Do you feel healthcare is a sector that can be expanded given the prime minister’s initiatives to diversify the economy?
A: I believe that the ingredients are already in place. In recent years, partnerships similar to ours have been set up by the government and we have witnessed the establishment of the Neuroscience Stroke and Rehabilitation Center (NSRC) and recently, the Brunei Cancer Centre (TBCC). Once these are developed into centres of excellence, utilizing state-of-the-art technology, manned by competent and skilled professionals, adopting evidence-based protocols, forming partnerships or tie-ups with internationally renowned institutions and have attained international accreditation (e.g. JCI), the primary critical success factor of quality and patient safety, is already taken care of. Other areas that should also be looked into are attracting visitors to Brunei, such as developing Brunei into a bustling business hub, the possibility of introducing a “silver-haired” scheme for retirees or developing Brunei as a tourist destination in its own right. Improving connectivity with the region is also very important and, last but not the least, competitive pricing in healthcare treatment. Besides the treatment of cardiac, neurological diseases and cancers, other niche areas that may be considered for further development include restorative dentistry, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Q: What is your main message to our readers?
A: That Gleneagles JPMC, a member of the Parkway Pantai group of hospitals, is a center of excellence for cardiovascular diseases.
I am cardiac anaesthesiologist with 13 years of experience and fellowship from Singapore, interested to join the Gleneagles,Hospital.
I am trying to send my CV to all possible email addresses available but in vain.
Please can you convey my interest to the hospital HR department.
Thanks and regards
Dr Dhananjay,
00968-99180103
Thanks for your valuable infomrations, It would be really helpful about health informations for all patients. Am working in medical portal , which would be really helpful for patients to check out hospitals for their treatments worldwide. Thanks for your blog informations, keep posting informations related to health always.