Sime Darby Healthcare expands to Ara Damansara

Posted: February 02, 2012 by SJ Echo

SJ Echo took the opportunity to check out the new hospital facilities and found the centre of excellence for brain, heart, spine and joint well beyond expectations.

SIME Darby Healthcare’s new facility, Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara (SDMC AD) opened its doors to the public on Jan 12 this year. SDMC AD is the first stand-alone Centre of Excellence for brain, heart, spine and joint cases in the country.

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 in Selangor. 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 has invested a total of RM240 million in the project, according to Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Wan Zahid Mohd Noordin, a Sime Darby board member who oversees Sime Darby Healthcare. The medical centre is equipped with specialized facilities and services for the treatment and management of heart, brain, spine and joint diseases.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Wan Zahid said a strong reputation built up in the industry over the last 26 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, spine and joint centre of excellence in the country. We aim to recruit a few more renowned specially trained medical experts in these disciplines both locally and overseas to add to our existing pool,” he noted.
Elaine Cheong, chief executive officer (Medical) 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.

“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 is 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,” she said.

The Brain Centre in Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara features a full range of treatments and services designed to meet the needs of our patients with brain and nervous system disorders.
The centre has 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 program in the country at present although up to 0.8 percent of the population suffers from epilepsy,” commented Cheong.

The medical centre will also have a fully-equipped, rehabilitation facility which includes neuro-spinal rehabilitation (stroke and spinal injuries), peadiatric therapy, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy and speech therapy. In addition, the facility features a comprehensive multisensory room for sensory stimulation for children with autism, learning difficulties, attention deficit disorder and hyper-active disorder. Its Early Intervention Programme helps to prepare children with learning disabilities to cope in a classroom setting.

To facilitate a smooth and hassle-free stay in the hospital, services such as ‘bedside admission’ (unlike the tedious conventional admission process) and an interactive TV system in patients’ rooms will be adopted.
Cheong says she 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 exclusive access to emergency consultation room and wards”.

The Spine & Joint centre of excellence at this new facility will focus on minimally invasive spinal surgeries and computer-assisted total joint replacement surgeries.

“At the Heart Centre, our patients will find the full spectrum of services ranging from cardiothoracic surgery 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 recognized centre of excellence, Cheong disclosed that the hospital has plans to affiliate with the world’s leading medical institutions to tap into their expertise to facilitate continuing medical education; staff and nursing students’ development and training programs; medical second opinion teleconferencing and joint management, and treatment of patients by specialists from these international medical institutions in the future.

For further information, please call the hospital’s Contact Centre at (03) 5639 1212 or email: healthcare@simedarby.com. You may also visit their website www.simedarbyhealthcare.com

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