Ara Damansara

Source: Vanityshack

Malaysia will soon have a stand-alone Centre of Excellence for patients suffering from heart, neurological, spinal and joint diseases when Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara opens its doors in 2011.

Front view of the new hospital which is scheduled to open next year

The new 220-bed medical centre is located along the route to Skypark Subang Terminal and in the vicinity of the upscale residential neighbourhood of Ara Damansara and Saujana. It will be the third medical facility established under the Sime Darby Healthcare Group, after the flagship Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya and Sime Darby Specialist Centre Megah in Petaling Jaya.

Sime Darby Healthcare is expected to invest a total of RM250 million in the project, according to Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Wan Zahid Mohd Noordin, a Sime Darby board member who oversees Sime Darby Healthcare. Plans are being drawn up to fit out and equip the centre with specialized facilities and services for the treatment and management of heart, neuro, spine and joints cases.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Wan Zahid said a strong reputation built up in the industry over the last 25 years as a leading-edge healthcare provider in the region has earned Sime Darby Healthcare a place at the forefront of the local and regional healthcare industry.

“With the vast experience gained, we can repeat this successful model in our future undertakings. We envision the new facility will be the largest private neuroscience, heart as well as a joints & spine centre of excellence in the country.  We aim to recruit a few more renowned specially trained medical expertise in these disciplines both locally and overseas to add to our existing pool,” he noted.

Elaine Cheong, chief executive officer of the Sime Darby Healthcare Group, echoed Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Wan Zahid’s sentiment that providing high quality care and having sound management and medical expertise was crucial to the dynamic growth of the brand.

Elaine Cheong, CEO of Sime Darby Healthcare Group

“Our vision is to become the gold standard healthcare provider of the region.   Earning the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in October 2009 for Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya was another step towards excellence, as JCI’s the worldwide leader in improving the quality of health care.  That accreditation has only been achieved by a select few in Malaysia to-date,” she said.

Besides the JCI, Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya is also accredited to the Malaysian Hospital Accreditation Standards.  Cheong added that the JCI accreditation was useful as a learning platform for the group to create healthcare environments that meet international health care quality standards for patient care and organization management in its expansion plans.  “Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara will focus on quality, safety and continuous improvement, especially in areas that most directly impact patient care.”

The neuroscience unit in Ara Damansara will feature a comprehensive epilepsy management programme that includes an electroencephalogram or EEG studies laboratory and state-of-the-art equipment for early diagnostic and treatment capabilities.

“There is no comparable comprehensive epilepsy treatment and management programme in the country at present although up to 0.8% of the population suffers from epilepsy,” commented Cheong.

The medical centre will also have a fully-equipped and state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility including a specialized Stroke Care Unit, hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, audiometry, musculoskeletal rehabilitation using wax and splints and a Child Development Centre with Snoezelen and speech therapy.  Snoezelen or controlled multi-sensory stimulation is used for patients with autism, intellectual or mental disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorders or brain injury.

To facilitate a smooth and hassle-free stay in the hospital, services such as ‘bedside admission’ (unlike the conventional admission process) and an interactive TV system in patient’s room will be adopted.  The hospital will also be installing a new sophisticated Hospital Management Information System that will allow, among others, central appointment bookings and management of patients’ health records in a seamless manner across all the Sime Darby medical facilities.

Cheong expects significant growth opportunities with the latest expansion, unique and differentiated tertiary service offerings.  “Busy top executives will enjoy the privacy of a premier lounge and separate access to emergency consultation room and wards.  Our Spine & Joints centre of excellence at this new facility will focus on minimally invasive spinal surgeries and computer-assisted total joint replacement surgeries.

“Heart patients will find the full spectrum of services here ranging from cardiothoracic surgeries to interventional cardiology and electrophysiology.  By combining state-of-the-art technology and the most advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques, we are able to treat patients with complex medical conditions, diseases or injuries,” she said.

To become an internationally recognised centre of excellence, Cheong disclosed that the hospital has plans to affiliate with the world’s leading medical institutions to tap into their expertise in areas of continuing medical education; staff and nursing students’ development and training programmes; medical second opinion teleconferencing and joint management, and; treatment of patients by specialists from these international medical institutions in the future.