Building a global healthcare ecosystem of care, for good

As a young houseman, Dr Kelvin Loh met an elderly woman in a hospital ward who had to undergo a gruelling series of evaluations, tests and administrative procedures before finally receiving a hip fracture diagnosis. 

“By then, she had been lying in traction for 72 hours,” said Dr Loh, who raised his leg to mimic the uncomfortable position the woman had been in. “I asked myself, what would a patient really want? All that uncertainty and fear about what was to come next was certainly not patient-centric.”

Spurred by this encounter, Dr Loh went on to forge a career in healthcare management. Today, he is the managing director and CEO of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare networks. IHH has 82 hospitals in 10 countries, powered by over 65,000 employees spread across eight brands, including Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and Parkway in Singapore. 

2022 marks IHH’s 10th anniversary as a dual-listed company. After rising to meet the COVID-19 pandemic challenges, IHH is now doubling down on its “Care. For Good.” aspiration – a determination to do good by its patients, people, the public and our planet, and build a better world for generations to come. 

According to Dr Loh, one of the most significant shifts going forward is a greater focus on holistic patient care. “IHH is building a healthcare ecosystem that paves a seamless journey from illness to wellness,” he explained. “We aim to positively impact patients’ lives by leveraging digital technology and its connective abilities, giving care that’s both high-tech and high-touch.”

To enable patients to be active partners in managing their health, IHH has developed MyHealth360, a mobile app that facilitates access to in-house patient medical records, curated information and soon to come, an expanded range of health and wellness tools. The app was first launched in Singapore last month, and will soon be introduced to all markets that IHH serves. 

STRATEGISING AGAINST GROWING THREATS

In another future-forward move, IHH is stepping up to identify and guard against possible healthcare threats, such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which Dr Loh calls the “hidden pandemic”. 

In 2019, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria directly caused an estimated 1.27 million deaths globally. For deaths from illnesses in which bacterial AMR played a part, the number rose to a staggering 4.95 million. By comparison, the death toll from COVID-19 in 2020 stood at approximately 3 million. 

AMR is caused by the inappropriate or excessive use of antibiotics, resulting in mutated bacteria or microbes that are resistant to being killed. “When one gets sick or infected by such bacteria, it is very difficult to treat,” said Dr Loh. “This is the equivalent of global warming for the healthcare industry.” 

Taking the lead in the fight against AMR, IHH is embarking on a groupwide Antimicrobial Stewardship programme. To ensure the sustainable use of antibiotics, the programme limits their use to situations where they offer the right efficacy. 

“It’s about being more targeted, as opposed to using a blunderbuss,” said Dr Loh. “This involves being more sophisticated about understanding the bacterial profile in our hospitals, our resistance profiles to different antibiotics and getting doctors to come up with the right protocols. With an appropriate framework, we can then deliver good care while hopefully slowing down the hidden AMR pandemic.” 

TAKING CARE OF ITS PEOPLE

While the AMR strategy can be regarded as being part of IHH’s hardware, its patients-first approach is very much a part of the group’s heart-ware. A decade ago, Dr Loh – then CEO of Mount Elizabeth – was at the hospital when he spotted an off-duty nurse tending to a five-year-old boy who was undergoing chemotherapy. When asked, the nurse revealed that she had come back just to see the patient. 

“She was walking the boy back and forth with his chemo pump,” recalled Dr Loh. “Bringing back his smile made her feel it was all worthwhile. This is what we aim to do – to create an inspiring environment for our people to widen the scope of care.” 

Caring for employees is one of the cornerstones of the organisation’s sustainability framework, which was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite taking a financial hit with the widespread cancellation of elective surgeries, IHH committed to zero retrenchments and made sure to secure sufficient personal protective equipment to keep staff safe. 

“We assured staff that we would take care of them, as much as they have been there for our patients. Our people responded remarkably – we had one of the lowest attrition rates in the history of our company,” said Dr Loh. 

Nurse clinician Jeannette Poon, 51, who joined Mount Elizabeth Hospital (Orchard) in March 2020 can attest to IHH’s investment in its staff, having completed a company-sponsored Advanced Diploma in Perioperative Nursing. “I’ve always wanted to be part of the operating theatre team and I’m grateful that IHH has given me the opportunity to upskill so I can do so. Learning and development sits at the core of our culture – we are encouraged to grow our skillsets and careers, no matter the age or seniority.” 

Illustrating how the organisation prioritises staff welfare, Ms Poon shared that operating theatre nurses who had been deployed to help out at community facilities during COVID-19 were issued personal protective equipment, back braces and protective goggles to safeguard their well-being.  

Dr Loh emphasised that this level of care for its employees is not just a by-product of doing good – it is the beating heart of IHH as a company and healthcare network, and forms the core of its “Care. For Good.” aspiration. 

“Without our people, there would be no patients,” said Dr Loh. “At the end of the day, we exist because of our patients, and caring for them as well as our staff has to be at the centre of everything we do.” 

Learn more about IHH Healthcare’s 10 years as a dual-listed company and explore IHH services around the world.