2014 winners

THE IMTJ MEDICAL TRAVEL AWARD WINNERS IN 2014

International hospital of the year

WINNER: Gleneagles Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Over the years, Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur has grown into a leading healthcare service provider in Malaysia and the South East Asian region of the highest repute, treating over 26,000 inpatients and over a quarter of a million outpatients each year. Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur is a 330-bed tertiary care hospital that offers patients a comfortable ambience. It is strategically located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and easily accessed by public transport such as the LRT, buses and taxis. Gleneagles KL’s centres of excellence are dedicated to being the most professional centres for the provision of the highest calibre healthcare services in SE Asia, where health-care teams treat each patient with compassion while using advanced treatments and technology to ensure patients receive the very best medical care within an individually devised programme. Each Center brings together a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and health-care professionals able to address the most complex and difficult medical problems. Web: Gleneagles Hospital

FINALISTS: Medical Park Healthcare Services Group, Turkey The Specialty Hospital, Jordan

Specialist international patient centre

HCAWINNER: HCA International, London, United Kingdom HCA International treats patients from around the world, in their six London hospitals, for a range of complex medical conditions such as cardiac disease, cancer, neuro-rehabilitation, orthopaedics and reconstructive surgery. International patients always have the freedom to choose from a number of competing medical centres of excellence around the world, not just London. Leading hospitals in the US and Germany perhaps offer the greatest competition. To maintain its high standing, HCA focuses on providing world renowned centres of excellence, as well as making significant efforts to attract equally world renowned clinicians. This has led to HCA hospitals becoming internationally recognised brands and often the medical centres of choice for international patients. Web: HCA International

FINALISTS:  Apollo Health City, India UPMC, USA

International dental clinic of the year

ImperialWINNER: Imperial Dental Specialist Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A clear vision and mission to be the global icon for dentistry guides the efforts of Imperial Dental Specialist Centre. Accredited by Malaysian government MHTC and ISO standards 9001/2008. IDSC is well equipped with 12 dental surgeries, one operating theatre, x-ray & sterilization room and a state-of-art auditorium. IDSC offers 5-star customer service and a purposeful marketing strategy with excellent testimonials from patients in written and video form to back up the Centre’s claims. IDSC has featured on Asian television and in many reputable journals. The IDSC team is comprised of well-qualified dentists, with specialist support from well-trained nurses and a professional centre management team. Imperial is not just a typical dental centre providing dental care. It is an integrated, one-stop, aesthetic centre that specializes in creating a patient’s new smile while maintaining their oral health in a sound healthy foundation. By customizing and setting priorities for a patient’s needs Imperial supports them through the journey to the perfect smile. Web: Imperial Dental Specialist Centre

FINALIST: Specialist Dental Group, Singapore

International infertility clinic of the year

Prince_CourtWINNER: Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia In providing healthcare, especially something as personal as conceiving a child, there should be no compromise on the quality of care a patient receives. The unique qualities that make Prince Court Medical Centre (PCMC) the choice of hospital for so many patients are quality care treatment with top-skilled healthcare professionals and advanced technologies using state of the art equipment. Strategically located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Prince Court Medical Centre has an international reputation for excellence. Good corporate governance and strict adherence to Malaysia’s Private Healthcare Act has made PCMC one of the most frequently sought after hospitals by many local and international patients for infertility services. Only the best medical consultants are selected who have been well trained locally and overseas. This attention to quality has seen Prince Court Medical Centre’s international patient census record a growth of 25-27% for the past few years. Web: Prince Court Medical Centre

Destination of the year

JordanWINNER: Jordan Jordan, through their Private Hospitals Association, managed to attract 250,000 international patients accompanied by more than 500,000 companions in 2012, with a total revenues exceeding 1B US$. Jordan’s hospitals achieved remarkable success in dealing with the phenomenon of the “Arab Spring” and in treating patients from Arab countries affected by revolutions. The PHA board considered threats and opportunities presented and in need of development to continue sustainable growth in medical tourism in Jordan. 
In August 2012 a revised strategy (2012 – 2015) adopted a major objective: to promote Jordan as number one medical tourism destination in MENA region – an objective that Jordan is well on the way to achieving by enhancing the quality and safety of hospitals’ services provided to patients, improving the financial efficiency of member hospitals, and increasing the capabilities of hospitals and medical centres to make them more competitive internationally. Advocacy, training, public relations, marketing online and offline, exhibitions and conferences, familiarisation tours, sponsorships, financial support, recruitment of new members to the Private Hospitals Association, have all played their part in Jordan’s strategic development of medical tourism. Web: Jordan Tourism Board, Private Hospitals Association

Medical travel agency of the year

PathwayWINNER: Pathway International, Nairobi, Kenya Pathway International is a Medical Travel Company based at Nairobi, Kenya with footprint across Africa. We have a panel of the top doctors and the top hospitals across the world in countries such as India, Israel, South Africa, Europe and the USA for accessing the best treatment for patients of the highest quality. Doctors and patients trust Pathway International because the philosophy and mission of the organization reflect a deep commitment to the highest level of medical care and patient respect. The entire Pathway International team is fully aligned with the principles of saving lives, doing good, and caring for patient health and wellbeing. Pathway’s processes involve an in-depth and rigorous protocol before a surgeon or hospital is accepted as part of our network of providers. The result gives patients access to some of the best surgeons and doctors worldwide. Pathway International provides peace of mind in medical travel and thoroughly deserves this Award. Web: Pathway International

FINALIST: Swiss Discovery, Switzerland

Best medical travel web site

Specialist_DentalWINNER: Specialist Dental Group, Singapore Specialist Dental Group’s vision is to be the first choice for specialty dental care and expertise in Asia guided closely by their philosophy of “Patients First, Teeth Second”. The Group believes that patients wellbeing is the first priority and the Group’s excellent website has all the features to make it an essential part of the Specialist Dental Group’s patient experience: an instinctual website structure provides ease of navigation with device optimised loading speeds , multi-language micro sites, information that the user needs about the Group and its clinicians and staff, effective interaction with the healthcare provider, 5-minute response time to each enquiry, consistent branding. For the Group, the website drives traffic and conversions making it a vital element in their path to growth and this year’s clear winner of this Award. Web: Specialist Dental Group

Best marketing initiative

WINNER: UPMC, Pittsburgh, USA Several years ago, UPMC recognized that international patients required customized services, and developed an international patient programme – called UPMC Global Care. The programme was dedicated to meeting the clinical and administrative needs of international patients in an efficient way. In late 2012, recognizing the growth of the international medical tourism industry, UPMC relaunched UPMC Global Care as a branded international patient programme. Its aim: to attract a greater share of international patients to UPMC hospitals. A dedicated campaign around UPMC Global Care was then designed to meet two objectives: Firstly, unite international patient programs around the world under the UPMC Global Care brand. And, secondly, increase awareness of UPMC Global Care, emphasizing not only UPMC’s clinical expertise, but also how easy it is for patients to access that expertise. Internal promotion, external direct marketing and digital advertising delivered a 2000% increase in clicks to the website and a commensurately dramatic increase in patient numbers. Web: UPMC

FINALISTS: Apollo Health City, India Medical Park Healthcare Services Group, Turkey

Excellence in customer service

ApolloWINNER: Apollo Health City, Hyderabad, India Apollo Health City, Hyderabad, embarked on a mission 25 years ago to create an integrated health care system. On a sprawling, single campus multiple specialties & centres of excellence, preventive care and wellness services, education & research, information technology and life sciences are all to be found, making Apollo Health City, Hyderabad, India an ideal health care destination, with unrivalled attention to customer / patient service. But the most telling aspect of Apollo’s success is found in the careful evaluation found in their quality reporting process: total admissions up 274%, average length of stay down 32%, mortality down 61%, infection rates down 57% and written complaints down 75%. From the moment of arrival in India, to their moment of departure, patients are the responsibility of the dedicated international patient service department. This completeness of customer service has earned Apollo Health City this Award. Web: Apollo Health City

Sanjiv Malik Lifetime Award

CurtisWINNER: Curtis Schroeder Bumrungrad Hospital was the first hospital in the world to make headlines on medical tourism in 1998 and, at the time, Curtis Schroeder was CEO. It was the first Asian hospital to be JCI accredited and during a regional recession he pulled the hospital from the brink of bankruptcy to make it a real success story. Under Curt’s leadership his team made strenuous efforts to attract patients to the hospital, largely from the Middle East and the USA, using the crashing value of the Thai bhat and the resultant low healthcare costs for international patients as an effective marketing message that was aggressively promoted. Curt also made sure that all his staff, starting with himself, gave the best customer-focused care at this hospital. He attracted US Board Certified Thai doctors from the US to work at Bumrungrad and he partnered with an IT software expert to develop a bespoke hospital information system, which enabled staff to deliver timely patient care. This software was so comprehensive and of such high calibre that even Microsoft showed interest in the project. Curt was instrumental in making Bumrungrad the very first hospital in the world for medical tourism. Since then, no other hospital has managed to come close to the strong reputation and foundations laid at Bumrungrad. Curt has never refused to share and explain his vision and success story at seminars and conferences internationally, with the aim of helping fellow professionals meet the standards that are demanded by international patients. The judges were unanimous in voting for Curtis Schroeder as the first recipient of the Sanjiv Malik Lifetime Award for his contribution to medical travel and patient care.