Dr. Chong Su-Lin
Letter from the CEO
Why Helix Healthcare and why Post-Acute Care?
Malaysia has developed an enviable track record in the private healthcare / acute hospital services sector. Faith-based charitable hospitals such as Assunta and Adventist were the first movers in this space. Private hospitals then started in the early 1980s in tandem with Malaysia’s growing middle-income population, which had the discretionary income to pay for private health services. As this area grew, so did the medical insurance market – tailoring offerings both to private retail customers as well as to corporations to enable such companies to offer private health care coverage as part of their compensation packages.
This, in turn, fueled further growth in the hospital’s sector, resulting in the major networks of hospitals now – IHH Bhd, Kumpulan Perubatan Johor, Columbia Asia for instance. So why do we need Post-Acute Care facilities? As an operator of private hospitals, I know too well that hospitals are for acute care – e.g. admissions for specific procedures or surgical operations. Once that procedure has been performed, hospitals are not set up (facility or skills mix) to consider the longer-term needs of the consumer/patient. Take a common example – an older person who has fallen and suffered a hip fracture. The surgery will often be performed within the first 24-48 hours of the fracture, and the patient would be judged ready to go home by the surgeon within 3 to 5 days of that surgery. Immediate questions are: can the person get out of bed unaided, sit out, get to the toilet, and who will help restore muscular strength of the affected leg to enable all these activities? Who will assess if the person is capable of coping at home – are there stairs to be tackled / what about toileting needs / is there any help at home to oversee the recovery process and if there is a home help, is she competent in the rehabilitation and medical care of this patient? This is, unfortunately, a very common scenario – I speak from personal experience and from all the anecdotal stories from friends and family. And having been a hospital CEO for several years, I am cognizant that this is a major service gap in most if not all hospitals. We must develop this new area of targeted step-down facilities & services if people are to have active lives after a disability (bone fractures, strokes, major cardiac events for instance). We have the added urgency of Malaysia’s significantly aging population. We need to act now.
Code of Conduct As part of its structure, Helix’s Board of Directors recognize the need to observe the highest standards of corporate practice and business conduct. Accordingly, the Board always adopts a formal code of conduct, which are applicable to the Board along with all employees, officers, contractors, consultants and other persons that act on behalf of Helix Healthcare and associates of Helix. The key aspects of this code will be to:
- Provide the highest standards of clinical care to residents;
- Act with honesty, fairness, and integrity in all dealings both internally and externally;
- Respect all people, their religion, ideologies, and cultures and reflect this respect in all words and actions; and
- Maintain a safe working environment to safeguard the health and safety of employees, consultants, contractors, customers, suppliers and other persons who visit Helix Healthcare workplace, or who Helix works with.
The code sets out Helix’s policies on various matters including conflicts of interest, anti-bribery and giving or acceptance of gifts (including money), confidentiality, privacy, fair dealings (including in relation to suppliers, competitors and residents), discrimination, bullying, harassment and vilification, health and safety, compliance with laws and regulations, responsibility to shareholders and the financial community. The code also sets out the consequences for a breach of the code, including the possibility of legal or disciplinary action. The intent of this code of conduct is to ensure that all employees of Helix compart themselves into the highest standards corporate governance and transparency.
Medical Advisory Panel The Board of Directors understands the need to observe the highest ongoing international standards of clinical practice and evidenced based medicine. Accordingly, Helix adopts a Medical Advisory Panel whose purview is to:
- Provide the latest evidenced based medical framework which is then set against an operational outcome based delivery system to ensure the optimal clinical results are achieved for the patients under our care.
- The Medical Advisory Panel shall continuously iterate on Item 1 above.
- To ensure compliance with clinical standards which are on par or exceed international care provision standards.
- To advise the Board of Directors from time to time on medical and or scientific matters pertaining to the Helix Healthcare.