BEST HOSPITALS
BEST HOSPITAL OF THE YEAR IN THAILAND
SAMITIVEJ SUKHUMVIT HOSPITAL
Nithiwat Gijsriurai
Receiving the Global Health Asia-Pacific Award for Best Hospital of the Year in Thailand represents the culmination of years of effort by Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital to deliver quality healthcare services to its patients . The award stands for the dedication and commitment of all its staff , both medical and non-medical , according to the hospital ’ s assistant director of international marketing , Nicolas Leloup .
“ The fact that the entire hospital has been recognised this year validates the hard work put in by every component of the hospital , and it also reflects patient satisfaction due to the very good health outcomes and great service we provide ,” said Leloup .
Owned by Bangkok Dusit Medical Services , Thailand ’ s largest private hospital company , Samitivej Sukhumvit is a heavyweight in Thai medical tourism and claims to be one of the leading international hospitals in the country .
Under the leadership of its hospital director , Dr Nithiwat Gijsriurai , Sami- tivej Sukhumvit emphasises its medical excellence , empathic service , and use of technology to improve patient experience .
In terms of medical excellence , the hospital has developed medical partnerships with leading hospitals overseas , such as the Doernbecher Children ’ s Hospital in the United States and Japan ’ s Takatsuki General Hospital . Even before the coronavirus pandemic , it had placed much emphasis on infection control to lower hospital-acquired and treatment-resistant infections to extremely low levels . Some of its treatment programmes have also seen major improvements in their outcomes , with outstanding detection rates for colorectal cancer in particular .
Alongside its clinical successes , Samitivej Sukhumvit ’ s doctors and nurses have received special training not just to treat their patients , but to “ take care of them as individuals with their relatives ,” said Leloup .
And in terms of its use of technology , it was the first hospital in Thailand to launch a virtual teleconsultation service last March . It also uses Tyto- Care devices to provide a range of basic examinations to help doctors make diagnoses during online consultations . In addition , its Engage care application is used to monitor vital health indicators in real-time for those suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure , while Samitivej Pace can be used by relatives and loved ones wishing to view the status of patients undergoing surgery , from preparation through to recuperation .
Samitivej Prompt is proactive in providing information about treatments for patients recovering in the ward . Patients using this service can manage scheduling , view details of the doctors and nursing team providing their care , and use the message system to contact their primary doctor .
Elsewhere , Samitivej Sukhumvit is known to be continually raising the quality of its care , said Leloup . “ This hospital has a team of 23 people monitoring and reporting on hundreds of quality indicators . In addition , various horizontal committees have been set up to look at specific problems , such as an infectious disease committee , which has managed the hospital ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Under the leadership of physicians , some centres will pursue collaborations with leading physicians in their fields to improve the clinical care programmes we offer ,” Leloup added .
Among these , surgeons in the orthopaedic department have trained with counterparts from Drammen Hospital in Norway on a new total hip replacement technique that lowers trauma and blood loss and reduces recovery time .
Similar collaborations have led to significant improvements in Samitivej Sukhumvit ’ s sports medicine programmes , procedures for prostate cancer treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound , and the use of endoscopic submucosal dissection , a form of minimally invasive , onetime surgery aimed at removing large polyps that would otherwise require surgery in the colon .
30 DECEMBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com