Singapore hospital group opens medical referral center in RP

A Singapore hospital network, the largest and leading private healthcare group in Asia, is now offering Filipinos who are suffering from serious liver disorders and other major health problems an alternative world-class treatment through its network of hospitals in Singapore – now the leading medical destination in the Asia-Pacific region.

And, in an effort to better promote its facilities and services in the Philippines, the Parkway Group Healthcare (Singapore) recently opened its Medical Referral Center (MRC) at the Medical Plaza Makati. The center may be reached at 751-8225 and 27.

The MRC is a one-stop service center designed to help patients access the right specialist expertise, personalized patient care and cutting-edge technology available at all Parkway hospitals in Singapore and the Asian region.

The MRC offers free services in connecting patients to relevant medical services in real time.

"We believe that Filipino patients deserve world-class and affordable treatment, without having to go through the hassle of securing visas and other stringent travel requirements. Our office here can even arrange to airlift patients to Singapore should such a need arise," said Kelly Low, Parkway’s marketing and country manager in the Philippines.

The Parkway Group owns three leading acute-care hospitals in Singapore – East Shore, Gleneagles and Mount Elizabeth.

The three hospitals command over 60 percent of private healthcare for foreign patients in Singapore.

With a comprehensive range of specialized healthcare services under one roof and backed by a team of experienced doctors, specialists, clinicians, nurses and technical staff, the Parkway Group Healthcare is the total healthcare solution.

The Group boasts of several Centers of Excellence where specialist treatment can be administered at one stop.

These centers provide treatment ranging from cardiac care, cancer, lasik, fertility, neuroscience to reconstructive microsurgery.

Its three Singapore hospitals collectively perform the largest number of liver transplants in Asia.

One of its leading liver experts, Dr. Tan Kai Chah, has performed more than 800 liver transplant operations in the United Kingdom alone, and many were pioneering procedures such as the first "split-liver" transplant operation where the donor graft was divided and transplanted into two recipients.

During his tenure as senior liver transplant surgeon at London’s King’s College Hospital from 1986 to 1994, Tan trained 26 surgeons in hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgery.

He also advised and helped implement the Irish National Liver Transplant Program in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin and was a consultant surgeon at the National University Hospital in Singapore.

It was at Gleneagles Hospital where Tan performed the first successful adult-adult living donor liver transplant in Southeast Asia.

Low said Tan, who is planning to visit the Philippines this month, has successfully treated many Filipino patients with liver problems in the Parkway hospitals.