MARKETING EXCELLENCE PARKWAY GROUP HOTEL

Parkway Group Healthcare, headquartered in Singapore, was founded by Dr. Lim Cheok Peng and others in 1987 and has grown internationally by an­nexing other hospitals. For example, Parkway’s joint venture with Apollo Hospitals in India has facilitated its expansion into that market. Parkway’s hospitals provide exceptional patient care and offer specialty clinics in areas, including oncology, neurology, optom­etry, and fertility. Its radiology department serves hos­pitals regionally, its laboratories serve inpatients and outpatients in Singapore, and it runs a physical reha­bilitation service. In 2013, the Medical Travel and Health Tourism Quality Alliance (MTQVA) ranked Singapore’s Gleneagles Hospital, Parkway’s flagship facility, as ninth highest on its list for medical tourism in 2013. According to the MTQVA, Gleneagles provides top-quality medical services in a top-quality location. This high acclaim is testament to Parkway Group’s primary mission, which is to make a difference in people’s lives through a high level of patient care.

Parkway’s focus on providing excellent service starts with its pre-admission procedure and continues through post-surgical care. To take patients’ needs fully into account, the company applies a different set of service standards in different hospitals. In all its hospitals, how­ever, patients can just approach the reception counter and ask for assistance instead of making appointments beforehand. Doctors on duty make the preliminary recom­mendations, then hospital administrators bring in appro­priate specialists to provide the necessary care.

Parkway operates 18 hospitals with over 3,500 beds in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India, China, and the United Arab Emirates. Patients are treated like five-star hotel guests. At Danat Al Emarat Women & Children’s Hospital in Abu Dhabi, patient rooms are fully equipped with high-speed Internet, video-on-demand, and video games for children. The Royal Suites at Danat Al Emarat have dedicated medi­cal staff exclusive to each suite. But Parkway attends to more than just a patient’s comforts. At Singapore’s flagship Gleneagles Hospital, post-surgical care insurance provides coverage for treatment of postsurgical complications for all patients. Coverage begins from the moment initial surgery is completed and ends 24 hours after a patient has been discharged.

Parkway’s Pantai Hospital in Penang, Malaysia, caters to patients at all socioeconomic levels. At the low­est price range, beds in the open ward, painted a cool lavender, begin at $40. However, a Deluxe Room costing $110 per night has the feel of a luxury chalet. It is fully air- conditioned and features a lounge area with a dining table and private bathroom. A refrigerator is provided as well: patients in Pantai Penang’s Deluxe suites are meant to feel as much at home as possible.

Gleneagles Singapore has a novel way of attract­ing new patients. The hospital invites specialists to purchase or rent rooms on its premises. Then, because of proximity, these doctors tend to admit their patients to Gleneagles, the admissions desk operates around the clock to accommodate every patient that walks in through the door. A patient is allowed to proceed to the admissions desk at any time of day, without the need for a referral, and be guaranteed a bed. Gleneagles has 700 doctors and, across the whole of Singapore, the group has around 4228 doctors.

Parkway understands that patients have the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and be kept fully ap­prised of the progress of their treatment, via a translator if needed. A patient in a Parkway hospital is also always entitled to request a second opinion from an accredited doctor; the company believes every patient must be al­lowed to participate in, and understand, their own health care needs. Parkway Patient Assistance (PPA), one of the Gleneagles Singapore’s initiatives, provides a one-stop service for international patients looking for specialist expertise, personalized care, and cutting-edge technol­ogy. PPA staff also provides advice on estimated costs of treatments and procedures.

The CEO of Parkway Holdings, Dr. Tan See Leng, has noted that Asia is becoming a hub for patient treat­ment. He believes that the next 1-2 years will see great benefits for Asian health care providers, as long as high- quality service is provided. Parkway Group’s biggest strength lies in its ability to capture the market for medical tourists in the Asian region, expected to be worth at least $10 billion by 2015. Low-cost, high-quality health care in Asia is estimated to attract over 10 million tourists a year. If Parkway Group continues to expand its reach and maintain the world-class quality of its medical establish­ments, then the sky is the limit for what it can achieve.

Source: Kotler Philip T., Keller Kevin Lane (2015), Marketing Management, Pearson; 15th Edition.